Pre-operative prediction of extracapsular extension of prostate cancer: first external validation of the PRECE model on an independent dataset.

Introduction: The PRECE is a model predicting the risk of extracapsular extension (ECE) of prostate cancer: it has been developed on more than 6000 patients who underwent robotic radical prostatectomy (RARP) at the Global Robotic Institute, FL, USA. Up to now, it is the single tool predicting either the side and the amount of ECE. The model has a free user-friendly interface and is made up from simple and available covariates, namely age, PSA, cT, GS and percent of positive core, the latter topographically distributed within the prostate gland.

Interactions of cubilin with megalin and the product of the amnionless gene (AMN): effect on its stability.

Cubilin, a 456 kDa multipurpose receptor lacking in both transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains is expressed in the apical BBMs (brush border membranes) of polarized epithelia. Cubilin interacts with two transmembrane proteins, AMN, a 45-50 kDa protein product of the amnionless gene, and megalin, a 600 kDa giant endocytic receptor. In vitro, three fragments of cubilin, the 113-residue N-terminus and CUB domains 12-17 and 22-27, demonstrated Ca2+-dependent binding to megalin.

Cobalamin-mediated regulation of transcobalamin receptor levels in rat organs.

Total gastrectomy (TG) causes cobalamin (Cbl) deficiency followed by increases in tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha levels in the spinal cord (SC) of the rat. In order to understand how Cbl deficiency may influence cell Cbl transport, we have measured by immunoblotting protein levels of the receptor for the Cbl-transcobalamin (TC) complex (TC-R) in both animal and cell models. TC-R protein levels were elevated in the total membranes of duodenal mucosa, kidneys, liver, and SC of rats made Cbl-deficient (Cbl-D) by means of TG or feeding with a Cbl-D diet.

Plasma membrane delivery, endocytosis and turnover of transcobalamin receptor in polarized human intestinal epithelial cells.

Cells that are metabolically active and in a high degree of differentiation and proliferation require cobalamin (Cbl: vitamin B(12)) and they obtain it from the circulation bound to transcobalamin (TC) via the transcobalamin receptor (TC-R). This study has investigated the plasma membrane dynamics of TC-R expression in polarized human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells using techniques of pulse-chase labelling, domain-specific biotinylation and cell fractionation. Endogenously synthesized TC-R turned over with a half-life (T(1/2)) of 8 h following its delivery to the basolateral plasma membrane (BLM).