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PCNA mRNA has a 3'UTR antisense to yellow crescent RNA and is localized in ascidian eggs and embryos.

The myoplasm is a localized cytoplasmic region that is involved in axis determination, gastrulation, muscle cell specification, and the pattern of cell divisions during ascidian development. The noncoding yellow crescent (YC) RNA is localized in the myoplasm, but the function of this transcript is unknown. Probes containing the 3' region of YC RNA hybridize to other RNAs in ascidian eggs. A cDNA library from the ascidian Styela clava was screened with a YC probe to identify maternal YC-related RNAs. This screen resulted in isolation of ScYC26b, a cDNA clone encoding the ascidian proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). The PCNA mRNA has a long 3' untranslated region containing a 521-nucleotide sequence with antisense complementarity to part of the 3' region of YC RNA. The PCNA and YC genes appear to be single copy and may overlap in their 3' regions on opposite DNA strands. The ascidian PCNA protein has 61, 69, and 71% amino acid identity to the Drosophila, Xenopus, and human PCNAs, respectively. S. clava embryos contain maternal and zygotic PCNA mRNAs. Maternal PCNA mRNA is localized in the ectoplasm, a cytoplasmic region that is segregated to cell lineages that proliferate extensively during embryogenesis, and is depleted in the myoplasm, which is segregated to cell lineages that undergo fewer divisions. Zygotic PCNA mRNA is confined to the developing nervous system and is still abundant after the neural cells have ceased to proliferate. PCNA protein, detected with PC10 monoclonal antibody, is also excluded from the myoplasm. These results show that the 3' UTR of PCNA mRNA is antisense and complementary to YC RNA and suggest that differential cell proliferation in the embryo may be limited by localization of maternal PCNA mRNA and protein. Furthermore, zygotic PCNA may have a novel role in neural development in the tadpole larva.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Expression of PCNA is associated with the presence of HPV DNA in skin warts.

A series of 90 excised cutaneous warts (verrucae vulgaris) were studied for the presence of HPV (human papillomavirus) DNA using in situ hybridization (ISH) with biotinylated full genomic DNA probes of HPV types 1, 2, 3, and 4. The expression of PCNA (proliferating cell nuclear antigen) was examined using conventional immunohistochemistry. The aim was to test the hypothesis that HPV can reactivate PCNA, including in the host replication machinery. HPV DNA of the above types was detected in 60 of 90 verruca biopsies studied (66.7%): HPV 2 in 56 cases, HPV 1 in 2 cases, and HPV 3 in 2 cases. PCNA was expressed in all samples except two. The signal distribution of HPV DNA markedly differed from that of PCNA expression. ISH revealed strong HPV DNA signals in both the granular and the upper spinous cell layers, the most intense signals being detected in the upper epidermis. On the other hand, nuclear PCNA staining was present in the majority of parabasal and basal cells. Although strong PCNA signals within the wart lesions were found in the areas where HPV DNA was present, the PCNA positivity was almost invariably localized in the differentiated cells of the spinous cell layers, just below the HPV DNA-expressing cells. At the margins of the lesions, PCNA expression was still strong but disappeared abruptly towards the normal epidermis. HPV DNA-positive warts showed more intense expression of PCNA than did the HPV DNA-negative ones in this study. Our results indicate that PCNA induction is associated with the presence of HPV DNA, suggesting that HPV can reactivate PCNA, thus interfering with the host cell DNA replication machinery.

Cell Differentiation↗

PCNA clamp facilitates action of DNA cytosine methyltransferase 1 on hemimethylated DNA.

BACKGROUND: Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is a ring-shaped protein known as a processivity factor of DNA polymerase delta. In addition to this role, PCNA interacts with a number of other proteins to increase their local concentration at replicated DNA sites. DNA cytosine methyltransferase 1 (Dnmt1), which preserves epigenetic signals by completing the methylation of hemimethylated DNA after DNA replication, has been indicated as one of these PCNA binding proteins by a previous work. However, the molecular mechanisms and functional significance of their association have not yet been studied. RESULTS: Dnmt1 can be readily isolated from nuclear extracts by PCNA affinity chromatography. Studies of the interactions between the two proteins demonstrate that the N-terminal region of Dnmt1, which contains a typical PCNA binding motif, has core PCNA binding activity, and that the remaining portion of the protein exerts a negative influence on the interaction of Dnmt1 with PCNA. The affinity of Dnmt1 for DNA is much higher for DNA bound by PCNA than for free DNA. Furthermore, DNA methylation assays with hemimethylated DNA as a substrate revealed that PCNA clamp-bound DNA is methylated more efficiently by Dnmt1 than is free DNA. CONCLUSION: These results provide the first biochemical evidence that physical interactions between PCNA and Dnmt1 facilitate the methylation of newly neplicated DNA, on which PCNA remains associated as a functional clamp.

Animals↗

Prognostic significance of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus.

Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) has been shown to be of prognostic significance in some gastrointestinal tumors. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed to determine whether PCNA is useful for predicting the outcome of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus. Using a mouse monoclonal antibody, PC 10, the expression of PCNA was studied in resected squamous cell carcinomas of the esophagus from 59 patients who had undergone curative esophagectomy. None had received any preceding therapy. The proliferation rate was assessed in terms of the percentage of the PCNA-positive nuclear area relative to the total area of cancer nuclei using a cell analysis system (CAS). Clinicopathological variables including PCNA staining were assessed in relation to prognosis. Survival rate was obtained by the Kaplan-Meier method. The PCNA indices (percentage of the positive nuclear area) of the tumors varied from 4.4% to 96.2%. Among the clinicopathological variables, only tumor size (5 cm) and depth of invasion were correlated significantly with PCNA index (P<0.05). Microscopically, PCNA was stained in non-keratinized cells but not in keratinized cells. However the histological grade was not correlated with PCNA index. The survival rate was significantly worse in patients with high PCNA indices (> or = 40%) than in those with low indices (<40%) (P<0.05). However, multivariate analysis revealed that PCNA index was not an independent prognostic factor.

Aged↗

Expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and Ki-67 in soft tissue sarcoma. Is prognostic significance histotype-specific?

Abnormal patterns of proliferation characterize the behavior of many tumors. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and Ki-67 are two cell cycle antigens which are expressed in proliferative states. Our study examines the prognostic value of these cell-cycle antigens in soft tissue sarcoma (STS). Paraffin-embedded primary tumor tissues from 185 patients (1980-92) were stained with the anti-PCNA antibody PC-10; 182 of these were stained with the antibody MIB-1 for Ki-67. Using PCNA (< or = 50; > 50%) and Ki-67 (< or = 10; > 10%) indices, we examined and compared metastasis-free survival (MFS) in a mixed-histotype group, as well as after subdivision into MFH and non-MFH groups. Fifty-seven patients developed metastases. The median follow-up for survivors was 6 (2-13) years. In the mixed series, the 2-year MFS for a PCNA index < or = 50 was 76%, and for an index > 50 56%. Survival predicted by Ki-67 index was comparable. PCNA index (but not Ki-67) strongly correlated with the incidence of metastasis in MFH tumors and predicted 2-year MFS of 81 vs 48%. In contrast, Ki-67 index (but not PCNA) strongly correlated with metastasis in non-MFH tumors and predicted 2-year MFS survival of 90 vs 45%. No correlation existed between PCNA and Ki-67 indices in the mixed histotype, MFH or non-MFH groups. In combination, a high PCNA and Ki-67 index correlated with poor survival, a high PCNA and lower Ki-67 index (or vice versa) with an intermediate survival, and low PCNA and Ki-67 indices with the best survival. The pattern of PCNA and Ki-67 expression raises the possibility of histotype specificity.

Adult↗

Spatial repression of PCNA by p53 during kidney development.

Transcriptional repression is a key mechanism for the spatial specification of gene expression and cell fate determination. During kidney development, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is expressed in the nephrogenic zone and is downregulated rapidly as renal epithelial cells enter terminal differentiation and acquire functional characteristics. Our laboratory reported that the transcription factor p53 stimulates the terminal differentiation of renal epithelial cells by means of transcriptional activation of renal function genes (Saifudeen Z, Dipp S, and El-Dahr SS. J Clin Invest 109: 1021-1030, 2002). Because p53-induced growth arrest correlates with downregulation of PCNA gene expression, we examined the impact of p53 inactivation on PCNA expression in mice and evaluated the effect of p53 on PCNA transcription. Immunohistochemistry revealed that the transition from nephrogenesis to terminal epithelial cell differentiation correlates with accumulation of the transcription factor p53. Importantly, the spatially restricted pattern of PCNA expression is disrupted in kidneys of p53-deficient pups, in which there was a redistribution of PCNA expression into the differentiation zone (without a change in total kidney PCNA content) and distortion of the tubular architecture. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays revealed that the binding of kidney nuclear extracts to the p53 response elements in human and rat PCNA promoters is developmentally regulated. Transient transfection assays performed in p53-deficient HeLa cells revealed that exogenous p53 strongly represses transcription from human PCNA promoter-reporter constructs. Interestingly, deletion of the p53-binding site confers enhanced responsiveness to p53-mediated repression, suggesting that transcriptional repression of PCNA by p53 is achieved by a mechanism other than direct DNA binding. On the basis of these results, we propose the hypothesis that p53-mediated transcriptional repression plays a role in the spatial restriction of PCNA gene expression during normal renal development.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Expression of the proliferative cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in adenocarcinoma of the gallbladder, and its relationship to prognosis.

Proliferative cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) has been correlated with degree of differentiation in some tumours, but information on PCNA expression in adenocarcinoma of the gallbladder is currently limited. Therefore, we examined PCNA expression in adenocarcinoma of the gallbladder, and its relationship to prognosis. The expression of PCNA was studied by immunohistochemistry in 70 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded specimens of surgically removed adenocarcinomas of the gallbladder. The percentage of stained nuclei was recorded, and the PCNA-labelling index (LI) was expressed as the ratio of labelled nuclei to the total number of nuclei counted. In all histological types, the PCNA-LI in the invasive zone of the tumour was higher than that in the luminal zone of the tumour (p < 0.05). The PCNA-LI showed a stepwise increase with decreasing degrees of differentiation in both the invasive and the luminal zone of the tumour (p < 0.01). In advanced adenocarcinomas, patients whose tumours had a PCNA-LI of less than 35 in the invasive zone had significantly longer survival rates than those with PCNA-LI equal to or greater than 35 (p < 0.01). Multivariate analysis, using the Cox proportional hazards model, indicated that a PCNA-LI > or = 35 in the invasive zone of the tumour was a significantly unfavourable prognostic factor (p = 0.002). The PCNA-LI of routinely processed specimens of adenocarcinoma of the gallbladder may be helpful for the evaluation of cell proliferation and prognosis.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Detection of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and sera of patients with malignant lymphoma.

Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) was detected in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of patients with malignant lymphoma (ML). Twenty-one of 27 patients with ML had PCNA expressing PBMC (5.25+/-4.75% cells), which tended to increase in the advanced clinical stage of ML. PCNA in PBMC extracts was detected in 11 of 16 patients (54.5+/-41.9 ng/ml). The percentage of PCNA-positive cells correlated significantly with the concentration of PCNA in PBMC extracts (P < 0.005). Serum PCNA was detected in 6 of 16 patients (160.1+/-141.1 ng/ml), but did not correlate with the number of PCNA-positive cells. In some cases, the concentration of serum PCNA increased after chemotherapy while the percent PCNA-positive cells decreased. Our finding indicate that detection of PCNA in PBMC appears to help monitoring the extent of disease in ML and the serum PCNA level may be used in therapeutic studies of lymphoma patients.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗

Long-term prognostic value of PCNA labeling index in primary operable breast cancer.

Cell proliferation was evaluated in 167 tissue specimens obtained from primary breast cancer patients who had undergone radical surgery between 1984 and 1988. Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue specimens were used in the immunohistochemical study. The immunohistochemical method was carried out using the avidin-biotin immunoperoxidase technique, and anti-proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) monoclonal antibody was used for primary antibody. Based upon the PCNA labeling index (LI), the patients were divided into two groups: low PCNA, <25% and high PCNA, >/= 25%. The PCNA LI ranged from 1% to 76% (mean, 23.9%). Patients aged </= 50 showed significantly higher PCNA LI than those of > 50 years. There was no relationship between the PCNA LI and tumor size, lymph node involvement and hormone receptors. The survival curves of 146 invasive breast cancer patients showed that the high PCNA group had poor overall survival compared with the low PCNA group. A significant difference in the overall survival between the high and low PCNA groups was observed in lymph node-positive patients, however, no significant difference was found between the two groups in lymph node-negative patients. PCNA LI was identified as an independent predictor in primary breast cancer patients.

Adult↗

[Expression of nm23 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in human brain gliomas and their significance].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Brain gliomas seldom undergo extracranial metastasis. Local recurrence is the main reason of tumor patient's death. Therefore, it is important to detect tumor biological features through determination of gene expression. This study was designed to investigate the expression of nm23 (non-metastasis gene, nm23)and PCNA (proliferating cell nuclear antigen) and evaluate the malignancy, recurrence, and prognosis of the tumor. METHODS: In 50 specimens of different malignant gliomas,the expression of nm23 and PCNA were examined using SP immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS: (1)The label indexes of nm23 and PCNA in low-grade gliomas were 3.40+/-0.27 and 3.60+/-0.05, respectively; while the label indexes of nm23 and PCNA in high-grade gliomas were 1.72+/-0.18 and 6.20+/-0.23, respectively.There was significant difference between the two groups(P< 0.05). (2)The positive rates of nm23 and PCNA were 56% (14 cases) and 64% (16 cases) in 25 cases of low-grade gliomas, while the positive rates of nm23 and PCNA were 12% (3 cases) and 88% (22 cases) in 25 cases of high-grade gliomas. There was significant difference between the two groups (P< 0.05). (3)The positive rates of nm23 and PCNA were 0% (0 cases) and 100% (9 cases) in 9 cases of recurrent gliomas, while the positive rates of nm23 and PCNA were 50%(34 cases) and 50%(4 cases) in 8 cases of non-recurrent gliomas. There was significant difference between the two groups (P< 0.05). (4)The label indexes of nm23 and PCNA in gliomas were inversely correlated (r=-0.5335,P< 0.001). CONCLUSION: (1)The expression of nm23 is inversely correlated with the malignancy of gliomas,i.e.the lower expression indicates the higher malignancy. (2)The expression of PCNA is associated with the increased malignancy. (3)Both nm23 and PCNA may be useful biological markers to evaluate the malignancy and prognosis of patients with gliomas.

Adolescent↗

[Expression of P53 and PCNA in nasopharyngeal carcinoma and their relation with clinical stage, VCA/IgA, EA/IgA, radiation sensibility, and pognosis].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: P53 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA) relate with tumorigenesis, development, and prognosis of malignant tumors. This study was to detect expression of P53 and PCNA in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) tissue, and discuss their relation of p53 and PCNA expression with clinical stage, VCA/IgA, EA/IgA, radiation sensibility, and prognosis. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry was used to detect P53 and PCNA expression in NPC tissue of 80 patients received radiotherapy alone. Relation of P53 and PCNA expression with clinical stage, VCA/IgA, EA/IgA, extinction of nasopharygeal tumor and neck lymph node when radiation dose was 36 Gy, and 5-year survival rate was analyzed by Chi-square test. RESULTS: Positive rate of P53 in NPC tissues was 92.5%, and that of PCNA was 100%. Expression intensity of PCNA significantly related with extinction of nasopharygeal tumor, and neck lymph node when radiation dose was 36 Gy, but P53 had no significant relation with it. Expression intensities of P53 and PCNA had no significant relation with NPC clinical stage, VCA/IgA, EA/IgA, and 5-year survival rate. CONCLUSIONS: P53 and PCNA relate with NPC occurrence. PCNA relates with NPC radiation sensibility, but P53 doesn't. P53 and PCNA have no relation with NPC clinical stage, VCA/IgA, EA/IgA, and prognosis.

Adult↗

[Expression and clinical significance of PCNA in renal pelvic and ureteral cancer].

To determine the relationship between PCNA expression and pathological stage, cellular grade, recurrence and prognosis of renal pelvic and ureteral cancer, research on PCNA proliferating index in 47 cases of renal pelvic and ureteral cancer we studied by immunohistochemistry S-P method. PCNA proliferating index of renal pelvic and ureteral cancer increased with pathologic stage and cellular grade. PCNA proliferating index of T3 + T4 was significantly higher than that of T1 + T2 (P < 0.01). PCNA proliferating index of G3 was significantly higher than that of G1 + G2 (P < 0.001). Those with higher PCNA proliferating index (III + IV) had higher bladder cancer recurrent rate after operation (60%, 12/20), those with lower PCNA proliferating index (I + II) had lower bladder cancer recurrent rate (22.2%, 6/27). P < 0.01. 35% (7/20) of those with III + IV PCNA proliferating index had simultaneous polyorganic urothalial cancer, 7.4% (2/27) of those with I + II PCNA proliferating index had simultaneous polyorganic urothelial cancer, P < 0.05. 7.4% (2/27) of those with I + II PCNA proliferating index had local recurrence and metastasis after operation, 40% (8/20) of those with III + IV had local recurrence and metastasis, P < 0.05. The 5-year survival rate of I + II was 86.7%, the 5-year survival rated of III + IV was 35.7% (5/14), P < 0.05. The findings suggest that PCNA proliferating index connects with pathological stage and cellular grade of renal pelvic and ureteral cancer. It is an important characteristic of low differentiation, invasiveness and simultaneous or sequentially polyorganic urothelial cancer. It may be an important prognostic indicator of renal pelvic and ureteral cancer.

Adult↗

Prognostic value of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) immunostaining in neuroblastoma.

Immunostaining for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), a marker of cell proliferation, is being increasingly used to study the proliferative activity of tumors, and the PCNA labeling index has been correlated with the prognosis of several malignant neoplasms. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue specimens of 24 primary neuroblastomas were immunostained using an anti-PCNA monoclonal antibody and the PCNA index was calculated. Then the relationship between the PCNA index, prognosis, and various other factors was assessed, retrospectively. The mean PCNA index was 11.0%. Patients having tumors with a high PCNA index (> or = 11.0%) showed a significantly lower survival rate than those possessing tumors with a low PCNA index (P < 0.001). Moreover, the tumors showing N-myc amplification had a high mean PCNA index of 15.6%, while those without N-myc amplification had a low mean index of 1.7% (P < 0.01). The PCNA index was closely related to the prognosis of neuroblastoma and to N-myc amplification. It has the potential to be a useful prognostic indicator of the patients with neuroblastoma.

Child↗

Assessment of rejection in orthotopic human heart transplantation using proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) as an index of cell proliferation.

Myocardial biopsies taken during the management of cardiac transplantation were stained for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Counts of PCNA-positive interstitial cells were compared, in retrospect, with the reported histological grade of rejection. Biopsies without rejection had negligible numbers of PCNA-positive cells. Ascending grades of rejection were paralleled by an increase in the number of PCNA-positive cells [grade 1, 13 +/- 35 (mean +/- SD); grade 2a, 38 +/- 40; grade 2b, 91 +/- 75; grade 3, 170 +/- 78]. While highly significant, in statistical terms, the overlap in the counts between different grades means that prediction of rejection from the PCNA count alone is not feasible. Biopsies graded as 0 or 1 and which immediately preceded more severe rejection episodes showed no increase in PCNA-positive cells. The majority of PCNA-positive cells are fibroblasts, although in grade 2b and 3 rejection a small population of PCNA-positive T lymphocytes occurs. PCNA staining is also seen in cardiac myocytes immediately after transplantation, during rejection episodes, and late after transplantation in the absence of rejection. The positive PCNA staining of cardiac myocytes probably reflects DNA synthesis that occurs with the shift toward polyploidy in hypertrophy.

Autoantigens↗

Immunohistochemical staining of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in malignant and nonmalignant skin diseases.

Immunohistochemical staining of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) was performed in skin from patients with various malignant and nonmalignant skin diseases using anti-PCNA monoclonal antibodies. The malignant diseases included squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), adult T lymphotrophic leukemia (ATL), mycosis fungoides, malignant melanoma and malignant lymphoma, and the nonmalignant diseases included severe treatment-resistant atopic dermatitis (AD), psoriasis vulgaris, verruca vulgaris, and others. The percentage of PCNA-positive cells (the labeling index, LI) was highest for the malignant diseases (56.5+/-7.1%). The LIs for severe treatment-resistant AD, psoriasis, and verruca vulgaris were also significantly higher than those for the normal control or nonlesional skin of the patients. The PCNA LIs were, however, not significantly elevated in eczema and contact dermatitis. The high PCNA LIs in severe AD and psoriasis vulgaris were considerably lower in the skin improved by treatment. Labeling with Ki67, a nuclear protein expressed in cycling cells, was also performed in skin from subsets of each patient group. The results were very similar to those found with PCNA labeling. PCNA-positive cells were found throughout the dermis as well as the basal layer in the malignant diseases, whereas they were found only in the basal layer in the nonmalignant diseases. The results suggest that in human skin diseases, the extent of staining for PCNA, which is a cofactor of DNA polymerase-delta and is essential for cell proliferation, correlates with the extent to which the disease is treatment-resistant. In addition, our findings suggest that the PCNA LI and distribution of PCNA-positive cells in the skin may be helpful in the early diagnosis of skin malignancies.

Administration, Topical↗

PCNA in situ hybridization: a novel and reliable tool for detection of dynamic changes in proliferative activity.

In order to investigate developmental processes, several methods have been established that allow the visualization of local proliferation zones and to follow their dynamics during morphogenesis. In this study we present a detailed description of transitory and continuous proliferation zones in the developing chick embryo. By tracing the S-phase marker proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) at the mRNA level we were able to identify the initiation and termination of proliferation programs. This approach provides additional information in comparison to the well-known BrdU incorporation or the PCNA immunostaining, which exclusively labels cells that contain PCNA protein. By means of PCNA in situ hybridization we analyzed the normal expression pattern in the 2- to 5-day-old chick embryo. We furthermore monitored the effects on PCNA expression after various manipulations such as removal of the apical ectodermal ridge (AER), the zone of polarizing activity (ZPA), and the surface ectoderm. In addition, we applied morphogens, such as fibroblast growth factors (FGFs), bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), and retinoic acid (RA), and subsequently analyzed changes in the pattern of PCNA expression. While ablation of ZPA, AER, or ectoderm are known to reduce cell proliferation and were paralleled by loss of PCNA expression, neither BMP-2 nor BMP-4 affected PCNA expression. Upregulation of PCNA expression could be achieved by application of RA or FGFs, factors known to induce cell proliferation during limb bud outgrowth. The PCNA in situ hybridization data presented here clearly show that this method offers a novel, very sensitive tool for tracing cell proliferation and for visualizing the dynamic patterns arising due to the initiation and termination of the proliferation program.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

A sandwich type enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)/cyclin using monoclonal antibodies.

Three hybridomas producing monoclonal antibodies to proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)/cyclin were newly derived. The specificity of established monoclonal antibodies to PCNA, TOB7, TO17 and TO30, was compared with that of the previously reported PCNA-specific monoclonal antibodies, 19A2 and 19F4. TOB7, TO17 and TO30 reacted with purified PCNA in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A 34 kDa PCNA polypeptide was noted by immunoblotting, the same polypeptide as recognized by 19A2 and 19F4. Epitopes recognized by all those monoclonal antibodies to PCNA were analyzed by competitive inhibition tests using ELISA. The results of those experiments suggested that the epitope recognized by TO17 and TO30 was almost identical to that of 19A2 and closely related to that of 19F4, but different from that of TOB7. Based on those results, a sandwich type ELISA for detection of PCNA was developed using TO17 and TOB7. This system was applied to measure the concentration of PCNA in normal peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) before and after stimulation by phytohemagglutinin (PHA), and in tissue extracts from rabbit kidney and thymus (RKE and RTE, respectively). Before mitogenic stimulation, the PCNA concentration in PBL extracts was less than 6 ng/ml (cell concentration 2.5 x 10(7)/ml), but at 48 h after PHA stimulation, when more than 70% of cells were in S phase, its concentration became 1280 ng/ml. RTE which contained many proliferative lymphocytes had much higher concentration of PCNA than RKE. Those results suggested that sandwich type ELISA using TO17 and TOB7 was useful as the quantitative assay to detect blast-transformation and proliferation of cells in vivo.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Up-regulation of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is closely associated with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) and progression of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), but does not predict disease outcome in cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is essential for DNA replication of mammalian cells and their small DNA tumour viruses. The E7 oncoprotein of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) is known to activate PCNA, shown to be up-regulated in CIN and cervical cancer (CC), but still incompletely studied as an intermediate endpoint marker in this disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: As part of our HPV-PathogenISS study, a series of 150 CCs and 152 CIN lesions were examined using immunohistochemical (IHC) staining for PCNA, and tested for HPV using PCR with three primer sets (MY09/11, GP5+/GP6+, SPF). Follow-up data were available from all SCC patients, and 67 of the CIN lesions had been monitored with serial PCR for HPV after cone treatment. RESULTS: Expression of PCNA increased in parallel with the grade of CIN, with major up-regulation upon transition to CIN3 (OR 21.77; 95%CI 6.59-71.94) (p = 0.0001). Intense PCNA expression was 100% specific indicator of CIN, with 100% PPV, but suffers from low sensitivity (34.8%) and NPV (10.8%). PCNA expression was also significantly associated to HR-HPV with OR 3.02 (95%CI 1.71-5.34) (p = 0.0001), and this association was not confounded by the histological grade (Mantel-Haenszel common OR = 2.03; 95%CI 1.06-3.89) (p = 0.033). Expression of PCNA did not predict clearance/persistence of HR-HPV after treatment of CIN, and it was not a prognostic predictor in CC in univariate or in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Up-regulation of PCNA was closely associated with HR-HPV and progressive CIN, most feasibly explained by the abrogation of normal cell cycle control by the E7 ongogene, reverting the p21(Cip1)-mediated inhibition of PCNA. However, the fact that PCNA is also expressed in normal squamous epithelium precludes the use of this marker as a potential screening tool for CC.

Adolescent↗