Tumor

Perforin, also known as the pore-forming protein, pfp, is a 70 kD cytolytic protein expressed in the cytoplasmic granules of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and natural killer (NK) cells.

EGF (epidermal growth factor) stimulates differentiation, proliferation and cell growth by binding to its receptor, EGFR. EGF was first discovered in the mouse submandibular gland in 1986 by Stanley Cohen of Vanderbilt University, leading to a Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine. Since then, EGF has been found in many tissues of the human body (including urine, saliva, plasma, milk, macrophages and platelets) and has been the subject of intense study in many areas of clinical research due to its many abilities.

Nucleolin is an abundant, 106 kDa nucleolar phosphoprotein that is a major protein in actively dividing cells. The stability of nucleolin is heavily cell proliferation-dependent, as nucleolin antibody studies have shown that degraded forms are relatively abundant in quiescent non-dividing cells, while nonexist in actively dividing cells.

The protein encoded by mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin), also known as dTOR in Drosophila, belongs to a family of phosphatidylinositol kinase-related kinases. These kinases regulate fundamental processes of cell growth, proliferation, metabolism

Epigenetic mechanisms allow distinction between the active and inactive compartments of the genome, allowing proper cell lineage and embryogenesis.

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a downstream effector of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt (protein kinase B) signaling pathway that mediates cell survival and proliferation. It is increasingly apparent that mTOR signaling impacts most major cellular functions.

BrdU (5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine) is a thymidine analogue which is incorporated into the cells of DNA synthetic phase. Replicating cells undergo DNA synthesis in a highly regulated, S-phase of the cell cycle. The regulation of cell proliferation is central to tissue morphogenesis during the development of multicellular organisms. Furthermore, loss of control of cell proliferation underlies the pathology of diseases like cancer.

Epigenetic alterations have come to prominence in biomedical research. In particular, hypermethylation of CpG islands located in the promoter regions of tumor-suppressor genes is now firmly established as an important mechanism for gene inactivation in cancer.

The transcription factor beta protein 1 (BP1) is a member of the homeobox gene family and the distal-less subfamily. Expression of BP1 is highly tissue-specific and developmentally restricted. Among different human tissues, BP1 is found to be highly expressed in placenta, kidney and at lower levels in fetal liver (1). Such restricted pattern of expression is compatible with a specific gene function in development and/or differentiation.

Reactive oxygen species, ROS, are beneficially involved in many signaling pathways that control development and maintain cellular homeostasis. In physiological conditions, a tightly regulated redox balance protects cells from injurious ROS activity, altered balance leads to various pathological conditions including cancer. MAP17 is a small 17-kDa non-glycosylated membrane protein that is overexpressed in many tumors of different origins, including carcinomas.