J Ahlskog | PubMed Health

PubMed2006

Vascular tumor targeting.

The growth of solid tumors is dependent on their capacity to acquire blood supply. Therefore, much effort has been directed towards the development of anti-angiogenic agents which inhibit the process of neovascularization. More recently, it has become apparent that the targeted destruction of the established tumor vasculature represents a complementary avenue for growing therapeutic opportunities. This review provides evidence that vascular tumor targeting is an effective anti-tumor strategy in animal models. It further describes strategies for the identification of putative tumor vascular targets and discusses future prospects for vascular targeting applications in the clinical setting.

Drug Delivery Systems↗

PubMed2001

Genomic organization and promoter analysis of the human heat shock factor 2 gene.

Heat shock factor 2 (HSF2) is a member of the heat shock transcription factor family, which appears to be activated during differentiation and development rather than on cellular stress. Here we report the isolation and characterization of the human hsf2 gene and its 5'-flanking region. The transcription unit of the human hsf2 gene consists of 13 exons dispersed over 33 kbp of genomic DNA on chromosome 6. The hsf2 mRNA is transcribed from multiple start sites, and initiation from the major site results in a transcript of 2.45 kb. A functional promoter, as determined by the ability to direct expression of a transiently transfected luciferase reporter gene, resides in a 950-bp upstream region of the human hsf2 gene. Examination of the core promoter sequence revealed a high GC content and lack of a canonical TATA box. This feature seems to be common among various species, as comparison of the hsf2 proximal promoter sequences from human, mouse, and rat showed distinct conserved regions. Moreover, the overall architecture of the human hsf2 gene is similar to its mouse counterpart. A comparison between human hsf2 gene and other hsf genes showed striking similarities in exon size. However, the exons are assembled in an hsf-specific manner.

5' Flanking Region↗