Prostate-specific antigen (PSA/hK3): a further player in the field of breast cancer diagnostics?

Since its identification, much information has been obtained about prostate-specific antigen (PSA, or human glandular kallikrein 3 [hK3]), a kallikrein-like serine protease that is the most valuable tumour marker for the screening, diagnosis and management of human prostate carcinoma. Recently, it has become widely accepted that PSA is also present in many nonprostatic sources, casting doubts about the specificity of its tissue expression. Here we summarize the findings on the biomolecular expression of PSA in breast secretions, cells and tissues of healthy and diseased females. Although several studies have strongly suggested that the molecular forms of PSA seem to represent a potential tool for the risk assessment of breast cancer, recent reports have yielded conflicting results. Although several studies have suggested new biological function(s) for PSA in breast physiopathology, more studies are needed to enlist PSA unequivocally as an additional weapon in the anticancer armoury in breast cancer diagnostics

α1-Antichymotrypsin complexes in human breast cyst fluids

Alpha(1)-antichymotrypsin, a serum protease inhibitor, was found in 72 breast cyst fluids aspirated from women affected by gross cystic breast disease. When fractionated by gel chromatography, the presence of protein complexes or aggregates was demonstrated. A different distribution of the alpha(1)-antichymotrypsin appeared to be related to the ionic composition of the breast cyst fluid; when compared with metabolically active apocrine cysts, a statistically significant increase of alpha(1) protease inhibitor values in flattened epithelial cysts was revealed (P < 0.001). Two-dimensional immunoelectrophoresis showed in apocrine cysts (Na/K ratio < 3) a characteristic double peak of alpha(1)-antichymotrypsin immunoprecipitin curve. The relationship between this alpha(1) protease inhibitor and electrolyte profiles may provide further knowledge about the imbalance between proteases and their inhibitors on functional changes of gross cysts and might be useful in studies on their mechanism of formation and relationship to subsequent breast cancer

Evidence for a particulate location of ubiquitin conjugates and ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes in rabbit brain.

The work reports the location of ubiquitin conjugates and ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes in homogenates of rabbit brain

Ultrastructural analysis of pancreatic acinar cells from mice fed on genetically modified soybean

No direct evidence that genetically modified (GM) food may represent a possible danger for health has been reported so far; however, the scientific literature in this field is quite poor.Therefore, we investigated the possible effects of a diet containing GM soybean on mouse exocrine pancreas by means of ultrastructural, morphometrical and immunocytochemical analyses. Our observations demonstrate that, although no structural modification occurs in pancreaticacinar cells of mice fed on GM soybean, quantitative changes of some cellular constituents takeplace in comparison to control animals. In particular, a diet containing significant amount of GM food seems to influence the zymogen synthesis and processing