Serum Tartrate Resistant Acid Phosphatase as Prognostic Marker of Survival

Abstract

Background: Serum tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b (TRACP 5b) activity is a marker of osteoclast number and is elevated in breast cancer (BC) patients with extensive bone metastasis, which might in turn reflect the tumour burden.
We tested the hypothesis that baseline serum TRACP 5b activity and its interval change are potential prognostic markers of survival in BC patients with bone metastasis.

Methods: We analyzed the data from previous prospective studies. A total of 100 patients with newly diagnosed bone metastasis were included. Cox proportional regression model was used to evaluate the correlation between the overall
survival time (OS) and baseline serum TRACP 5b activity and its interval changes. The least significant change (LSC) of TRACP 5b was calculated from data obtained from 15 patients with early BC.

Results: Estrogen receptor status (Hazard Ratio (HR) = 0.397; p = 0.003) and visceral metastasis (HR = 0.492; p = 0.0045)were significantly correlated with OS. The OS was significantly shorter in those patients with higher baseline TRACP 5b
activity based on a cut-off value to delineate the highest tertile (HR = 3.524; p < 0.0001). Further analysis demonstrated that among patients in the highest tertile, OS was significantly longer in those patients who had achieved a decrease of
serum TRACP 5b activity greater than the LSC (38.59%) (p = 0.0015).

Conclusions: We found that TRACP 5b activity and its interval change after treatment bore a prognostic role in BC patients with bone metastasis and a high baseline serum TRACP 5b activity. Further prospective phase II study is necessary to confirm these results

Structural and functional analysis of human prostatic acid phosphatase

Prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) is the most abundant phosphatase in human prostate tissue/secretions. PAP is a clinically important protein for its relevance as a biomarker of prostate carcinoma. Furthermore, it has a potential role in fertilization. We describe here most of the features of PAP including gene regulation, gene/protein structure, functions, its role in tumor progression and evolutionary features.

PAP has phosphatase activity and is an extensively studied biomarker of prostate cancer. The major action of PAP is to dephosphorylate macromolecules with the help of catalytic residues (His12 and Asp258) that are located in the cleft between two domains. This article will be of great interest to all those scientists who are working in the area of prostate pathophysiology

Authors: Hassan, Md Imtaiyaz1; Aijaz, Afnan; Ahmad, Faizan

Source: Expert Review of Anticancer Therapy, Volume 10, Number 7, July 2010 , pp. 1055-1068(14)

Aminoquinoline Surfen Inhibits the Action of SEVI (Semen-derived Enhancer of Viral Infection)

Abstract
In semen, proteolytic peptide fragments from prostatic acid phosphatase can form amyloid fibrils termed SEVI (semen-derived enhancer of viral infection). These fibrils greatly enhance human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infectivity by increasing the attachment of virions to target cells. Therefore, SEVI may have a significant impact on whether HIV is successfully transmitted during sexual contact.

Here, we demonstrate that surfen, a small molecule heparan sulfate proteoglycan antagonist, inhibits both SEVI- and semen-mediated enhancement of HIV type 1 infection. Surfen interferes with the binding of SEVI to both target cells and HIV type 1 virions but does not deaggregate SEVI fibrils. Because SEVI can increase HIV infectivity by several orders of magnitude, supplementing current HIV microbicide candidates with SEVI inhibitors, such as surfen, might greatly increase their potency.


Nadia R. Roan‡, Stefanie Sowinski‡, Jan Münch§, Frank Kirchhoff§ and Warner C. Greene‡¶,1