The proteinase, cathepsin L, has been strongly implicated in the processes of tumour invasion and metastasis. A new purification method, three-phase partitioning, characterised in terms of the parameters which affected its fractionation of proteins, was found to simplify the purification of cathepsin L from sheep liver. This method, together with a novel cation-exchange step on S-Sepharose and molecular exclusion chromatography, enabled the enzyme to be purified to homogeneity, in a single-chain form. A further enzyme fraction was isolated as a proteolytically active complex with the endogenous inhibitor of cysteine proteinases, cystatin. Studies on the proteolytically active complex revealed that approximately 60% of it was covalently bound and proteolytically active, while the other 40% was non-covalently bound and proteolytically inactive, in the manner normally found for the binding of cystatin to cysteine proteinases. A cystatin fraction from sheep liver containing variants of cystatin B, was shown to be able to form complexes with free cathepsin L in vitro in a pH-dependent, rapid process, which was mildly stimulated by a reducing agent. Cathepsin L was also isolated from human spleen, but only as a protcolytically inactive complex, presumably also with cystatin(s). The complexed and free cathepsin L from sheep liver were analysed for their pH-dependent characteristics, and it was found that both forms of the enzyme were more active and stable at, or near, neutral pH, than would have been expected from published values. Specific polyclonal antibodies to pure sheep cathepsin L were raised in rabbits and chickens. The chicken egg yolk antibodies were of a much higher titre and were immunoinhibitory towards the enzyme, which the rabbit antibodies were not. Anti-peptide antibodies, raised in rabbits against a peptide sequence selected from the active site of human cathepsin L, were highly specific for cathepsin L and immunoinhibitory towards the enzyme. Together with the polyclonal anti-cathepsin L antibodies, they show promise for immunoinhibitory and immunocytochemical studies on the enzyme, and as potential anti-tumour drugs. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1990.

Cathepsin L, which has been implicated in many tissue degradative pathologies by virtue of its ability to degrade extracellular matrix components, was isolated by a novel, scaled-up protein purification method and purified to homogeneity in the single-chain form. In addition, the high molecular weight variant of cathepsin L covalently complexed with stefin B was isolated. Both cathepsin L and the complex were stable, in respect of their proteolytic activity, to the chaotropic agent urea, both showing enhanced activity in the presence of urea. Urea did not dissociate the complex. The suitability of cathepsin L for a purported extracellular role was addressed by investigating its pH optimum and pH stability. Cathepsins L and B are affected by ionic strength and so buffers of constant ionic strength (rather than constant molarity, and therefore varying ionic strength) were used in determining their pH optima and stability. Cathepsins L and B had apparent pH optima of pH 6.5 and 7.5, respectively, (measured with synthetic substrates) and, contrary to the previous belief, were substantially stable at physiological pH. In Hanks' balanced salt solution, a model of the extracellular fluid, they were shown to be active and stable, cathepsin L having a half-life of 179 s at pH 7.2 and 657 s at pH 6.8 (the peritumour pH). It was also shown that prior reductive activation of these enzymes increased their stability to extracellular conditions, supporting the hypothesis that the active site thiolate-imidazolium ion pair contributes to their stability. The nature of the bond between cathepsin L and stefin B in the covalent complex was examined, using CNBr cleavage, HPLC and amino acid sequencing. Stefin B was shown to be associated with residues 1-137 of cathepsin L via a reduction sensitive linkage which was deduced to be a thioester bond betwen Asp-71 of cathepsin L and Cys-3 of stefin B. Polyclonal antibodies to cathepsin L and stefin B-complexed cathepsin L were raised in rabbits and chickens, and characterised with respect to their suitability for immunocytochemical localisation of these forms of cathepsin L. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1998.

No description available.

Thesis (M.S. in genetics and cell biology)--Washington State University, May 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Glasgow, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references. Print version also available.

No description available.

Erratum is pasted onto back endpaper. / Bibliography: leaves 189-219. / xxiii, 221 leaves : / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Current understanding of metastatic processes and the clinical significance of these processes is discussed. The study of circulating solid tumour cells in peripheral blood is reviewed from an historical perspective. Newer molecular and cell biological techniques which may facilitate more reliable tumour evaluation are reviewed with special reference given to polymerase chair reaction (PCR) / Thesis (M.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Surgery, 1997?

published_or_final_version / Obstetrics and Gynaecology / Master / Master of Philosophy

The collagenolytic proteinases, type IV collagenase and cathepsins Land H, have been implicated in tumour invasion and metastasis, by virtue of their degradative action on the extracellular matrix barriers traversed by migrating tumour cells. Type IV collagenase was isolated from human leucocytes using anti-peptide antibody immunoaffinity chromatography. The highly specific targeting of both native and denatured forms of human type IV collagenase by these anti-peptide antibodies holds much promise for immunolocalisation studies in human tumour tissue. Cathepsin L was purified in both a free; single-chain form from sheep liver, and as complexes with the endogenous cysteine proteinase inhibitor, stefin B. These complexes comprised mixtures of the usual tight-binding non-covalent, inhibitory complexes, and novel, proteolytically active, covalent cathepsin L/stefin B complexes. The latter form spontaneously in a pH-dependent manner in vitro from purified, active constituents. The primary structures of these complexing moieties from sheep liver are reported here for the first time, and showed a high degree of sequence homology with their human counterparts. Single-chain cathepsin L, both in the free, and novel, covalently complexed forms, manifested stability and increased activity at neutral pH, thus suggesting a role in extracellular tissue destruction. This potential involvement in tumour invasion was strengthened by demonstrating that the single-chain form of the enzyme, and similar covalent complexes, active under physiological conditions, could be isolated from liver tissue homogenates of higher primates, baboon (Papio ursinus) and man. A battery of versatile polyclonal anti-sheep cathepsin L and anti-human cathepsins L and H peptide antibodies were raised in chickens and rabbits. The chicken egg yolk antibodies were often of a higher titre than the corresponding rabbit serum antibodies, and additionally manifested unique immunoinhibitory properties. In the case of the polyclonal chicken anti-sheep cathepsin L antibodies, this was derived from their ability to target a peptide located in the active site of cathepsin L. The chicken anti-human cathepsins L and H peptide antibodies constitute the immunological probes of choice for immunolocalisation and in vitro tumour invasion studies to elucidate the relative contributions of these collagenolytic cathepsins to tumour invasion, and could ultimately find application in tumour immunotherapy. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1992.

A variety of proteases have been shown to promote the progression of cancer by virtue of their ability to degrade extracellular proteinaceous barriers, such as basement membrane and interstitial stroma. At the outset of this study available evidence strongly implicated cathepsin D in breast cancer metastasis. It was envisaged that an antibody inhibitory to the activity of this enzyme might retard invasion, and restrain a tumour from spreading. To this end anti-peptide antibodies were generated against a peptide sequence derived from the substrate capturing "flap" of the enzyme. Inhibition of enzyme activity by these antibodies could not be demonstrated, probably due to the lack of a suitably sensitive enzyme assay. However, the rationale of this study and the expertise gained from it could be applied, in the future, to enzymes that have since been found to be more relevant to tumour invasion. A feature of many transformed cells is an anomalous lysosomal enzyme trafficking system, and concomitant hyper-secretion of some enzymes. The distribution of low pH compartments and lysosomal enzyme-containing compartments was investigated in human breast epithelial cells, and their c-Ha-ras- transformed counterparts. Immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy showed that these compartments have a more peripheral cellular distribution with respect to normal cells, and cathepsins B and D were cell surface-associated. Studies were undertaken to reveal the extracellular matrix degrading ability of c-Ha- ras-transformed cells. Transformed cells exhibited increased degradation of fluorescein-labelled extracellular matrix in serum free medium, and increased motility, and degradation and disruption of extracellular matrix in serum-containing medium. In vitro invasion through artificial basement membrane by transformed cells was investigated using scanning electron microscopy, and was further used to preliminarily identify the proteases involved in invasion by specific inhibition. By this means, greatest inhibition of in vitro invasion was obtained using a specific metalloproteinase inhibitor. Overexpression by transformed cells of a metalloproteinase was detected by gelatin zymography. Together these results suggest that the increased invasive capacity of ras-transformed breast epithelial cells may be largely due to increased metalloproteinase activity. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg , 1996.