Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1995 Feb 14;92(4):998-1002.
doi: 10.1073/pnas.92.4.998.

Thymidine phosphorylase is angiogenic and promotes tumor growth

A Moghaddam  1 , H T Zhang, T P Fan, D E Hu, V C Lees, H Turley, S B Fox, K C Gatter, A L Harris, R Bicknell
Affiliations

Thymidine phosphorylase is angiogenic and promotes tumor growth

A Moghaddam et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. .

Abstract

Platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor was previously identified as the sole angiogenic activity present in platelets; it is now known to be thymidine phosphorylase (TP). The effect of TP on [methyl-3H]thymidine uptake does not arise from de novo DNA synthesis and the molecule is not a growth factor. Despite this, TP is strongly angiogenic in a rat sponge and freeze-injured skin graft model. Neutralizing antibodies and site-directed mutagenesis confirmed that the enzyme activity of TP is a condition for its angiogenic activity. The level of TP was found to be elevated in human breast tumors compared to normal breast tissue (P < 0.001). Overexpression of TP in MCF-7 breast carcinoma cells had no effect on growth in vitro but markedly enhanced tumor growth in vivo. These data and the correlation of expression in tumors with malignancy identify TP as a target for antitumor strategies.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. J Exp Med. 1976 Nov 2;144(5):1188-203 - PubMed
    1. J Biol Chem. 1992 Jun 5;267(16):10931-4 - PubMed
    1. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1978 Feb;157(2):262-7 - PubMed
    1. Biochem Pharmacol. 1982 Sep 1;31(17):2755-9 - PubMed
    1. J Anat. 1984 Aug;139 ( Pt 1):45-58 - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances