The generation of bioactive proteins is key to the cell's homeostasis. Proprotein convertases (PCs) are the enzymes responsible for this spatio-temporal regulated processing of inactive protein precursors into their active form. Until recently, PCs had been implicated in tumorigenesis in vitro and in animal models but not in human colorectal cancer. Our group showed that the expression of PC1/3, PC2 and 7B2 are aberrant in colorectal liver carcinoma. In this study, we have shown that the expression of PC5 but not NARC-1 was aberrant in colorectal cancer and their metastases. NARC-1's expression was not altered in either primary colorectal cancer or their metastases. Nevertheless, we found that its expression was greater in the liver than in the colon. PCS was overexpression in the primary tumor but downregulated in the metastases. We do not know if this altered protein expression profile is a cause or a consequence of tumorigenesis. Nonetheless, this aberrant expression may result in an alteration of the secretory pathway and consequently of the cellular microenvironment and thus favour tumor growth and/or metastasis.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.100766 |
| Date | January 2006 |
| Creators | Bénay, Cassandre E. |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Science (Division of Surgical Research.) |
| Rights | © Cassandre E. Bénay, 2006 |
| Relation | alephsysno: 002588268, proquestno: AAIMR32662, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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