Quebec platelet disorder (QPD) is an autosomal dominant bleeding disorder linked to a region on chromosome 10 that includes PLAU, the urokinase plasminogen activator gene. QPD increases urokinase plasminogen activator mRNA levels, particularly during megakaryocyte differentiation, without altering expression of flanking genes. Because PLAU sequence changes were excluded as the cause of this bleeding disorder, we investigated whether the QPD mutation involved PLAU copy number variation. All 38 subjects with QPD had a direct tandem duplication of a 78-kb genomic segment that includes PLAU. This mutation was specific to QPD as it was not present in any unaffected family members (n = 114), unrelated French Canadians (n = 221), or other persons tested (n = 90). This new information on the genetic mutation will facilitate diagnostic testing for QPD and studies of its pathogenesis and prevalence. QPD is the first bleeding disorder to be associated with a gene duplication event and a PLAU mutation.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1182/blood-2009-07-233965 | DOI Listing |
Sci Adv
January 2025
The Finsen Laboratory, Rigshospitalet, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.
Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) hold promise to advance targeted therapy of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), where the desmoplastic tumor stroma challenges effective treatment. Here, we explored the urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) as a candidate ADC target in PDAC, harnessing its massive tumoral and stromal expression in this stroma-dense tumor. We generated a site-specific ADC offering high-affinity, cross-species reactivity, and efficient internalization of the anti-uPAR monoclonal antibody, FL1, carrying a potent anthracycline derivative (PNU-158692).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTransl Androl Urol
December 2024
Department of Urology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Background: Some studies suggest a potential association between plasma lipidome and erectile dysfunction (ED), but the underlying mechanism and whether circulating inflammatory proteins act as mediators remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential causal relationships between plasma lipidome, inflammatory proteins, and ED.
Methods: Plasma lipidome, circulating inflammatory proteins, and ED cases were identified based on the summary data from several large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS).
Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry
January 2025
Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
Psilocybin represents a novel therapeutic approach for individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) who do not respond to conventional antidepressant treatment. Investigating the influence of psilocybin on the pathophysiological processes involved in MDD could enhance our neurobiological understanding of the presumed antidepressant action mechanism. This systematic review aims to summarize the results of human studies investigating changes in blood-based biomarkers of MDD to guide future research on potentially relevant analytes that could be monitored in clinical trials.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlzheimers Dement
January 2025
Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.
Introduction: We investigated the specific factors driving abnormal angiogenesis in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and its role in cerebrovascular lesions and neurodegeneration.
Methods: We assessed cerebrovascular pathologies, amyloid-beta (Aβ), and tau pathologies in post mortem human brains and detected 12 angiogenic factors in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the China Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease Initiative (CANDI) cohort.
Results: We observed severe blood-brain barrier damage and elevated levels of the vascular marker CD31 in human AD brains, which had a stronger correlation with tau pathology than Aβ pathology.
Biomolecules
December 2024
Division of Biochemistry, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland.
Emerging evidence suggests the serine protease, urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA), may play an important role in the modulation of mood and cognitive functions. Also, preliminary evidence indicates that uPA modulates BDNF activity that is known to be involved in the pathogenesis of mood disorders. However, the physiological functions of uPA in specific brain regions for mediating stress-related emotional behaviors remain to be elucidated.
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