Mitogenic effects of urokinase on melanoma cells are independent of high affinity binding to the urokinase receptor

The structural and functional properties of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA) that are involved in the mitogenic effect of this proteolytic enzyme on human melanoma cells M14 and IF6 and the role of the u-PA receptor (u-PAR) in transducing this signal were analyzed. Native u- PA purified from urine induced a mitogenic response in...

Apoptin induces apoptosis in human transformed and malignant cells but not in normal cells

The chicken anemia virus protein apoptin induces a p53-independent, Bcl- 2-insensitive type of apoptosis in various human tumor cells. Here, we show that, in vitro, apoptin fails to induce programmed cell death in normal lymphoid, dermal, epidermal, endothelial, and smooth-muscle cells. However, when normal cells are transformed they become...