title: Soluble urokinase receptor released from human carcinoma cells: a plasma parameter for xenograft tumour studies.
abstract: The urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) plays a critical role in urokinase-mediated plasminogen activation and thereby in the process leading to invasion and metastasis. Soluble urokinase receptor (suPAR) is released from tumours, and in cancer patients the blood level of soluble receptor is increased. Using an enzyme-linked, immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-specific for the human urokinase receptor, release of soluble receptor was measured in cultures of human breast carcinoma cells, in tumour extracts and in plasma from mice with xenografted human tumours. Soluble human urokinase receptor (shuPAR) was released into culture supernatant during the growth of the human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 BAG, and the level of shuPAR in conditioned medium determined by ELISA was a linear function of both viable cell number and time of incubation. Western blotting showed that the form of shuPAR measured by ELISA in conditioned medium consisted virtually exclusively of the three-domain full-length protein, while uPAR in cell lysates consisted of full-length uPAR as well as the domains (2+3) cleavage product. shuPAR was also released into the plasma of nude mice during growth of MDA-MB-231 BAG, MDA-MB-435 BAG and HCT 116 cells as subcutaneously xenografted tumours. Western blotting demonstrated that the shuPAR released from the xenografted human tumours into plasma consisted of the three-domain full-length protein, despite the finding of some cleaved uPAR in detergent extracts of tumour tissue. The levels of shuPAR determined by ELISA in the plasma of host mice during the growth of xenografted cell lines were highly correlated with tumour volume.
authors.affiliation: The Finsen Laboratory, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Holst-Hansen
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Hamers
authors.forename: B E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Johannessen
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Brünner
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Stephens
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D010960:Plasminogen Activators / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood; D055293:Receptors, Urokinase Plasminogen Activator; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: C524898:PLAUR protein, human; C524899:Plaur protein, mouse; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D055293:Receptors, Urokinase Plasminogen Activator; D010960:Plasminogen Activators; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator