Antitumor effects of novel mAbs against cationic amino acid transporter 1 (CAT1) on human CRC with amplified CAT1 gene.

Copy number alterations detected by comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) can lead to the identification of novel cancer-related genes. We analyzed chromosomal aberrations in a set of 100 human primary colorectal cancers (CRCs) using CGH and found a solute carrier (SLC) 7A1 gene, which encodes cationic amino acid transporter 1 (CAT1) with 14 putative transmembrane domains, in a chromosome region (13q12.3) with a high frequency of gene amplifications.

Inhibition of tumor formation and metastasis by a monoclonal antibody against lymphatic vessel endothelial hyaluronan receptor 1.

Although cancer metastasis is associated with poor prognosis, the mechanisms of this event, especially via lymphatic vessels, remain unclear. Lymphatic vessel endothelial hyaluronan receptor 1 (LYVE-1) is expressed on lymphatic vessel endothelium and is considered to be a specific marker of lymphatic vessels, but it is unknown how LYVE-1 is involved in the growth and metastasis of cancer cells. We produced rat monoclonal antibodies (mAb) recognizing the extracellular domain of mouse LYVE-1, and investigated the roles of LYVE-1 in tumor formation and metastasis.

Transcriptional repression of the poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) depolymerase in Ralstonia pickettii T1 by a tetR-like gene.

Ralstonia pickettii T1 secretes a poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) depolymerase (PhaZ) and a 3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB)-oligomer hydrolase, and extracellularly degrades PHB to produce 3HB. However, it is not clear how the expression of phaZ is regulated. In this study, the mechanism by which phaZ expression is controlled in R.