FIND ARTICLE

LASER MICRODISSECTION - HIGH-TECH TECHNIQUE APPLIED IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Molecular analysis are mostly carried out in heterogeneous biological material, and results obtained in this way illustrate the status quo that existed in different cell types, also in cells that are not the object of our interest. This article aims to familiarize the reader with a technique for precisely obtaining material for molecular studies, which is laser microdissection. This method allows the separation of even a single cell from a heterogeneous material almost unchanged, both morphologically and biochemically.

THE ROLE OF MELATONIN IN BREAST, OVARIAN AND ENDOMETRIAL CANCERS

Estrogens plays an essential role in the etiology of human breast, ovarian and endometrial carcinoma. Activation of estrogen receptors contributes to the growth and metastasis of these common estrogen-dependent tumors found in women. Recent studies reveal that melatonin, main hormone secreted by pineal gland, has been involved in the regulation of cancer cells growth. The oncostatic properties of this molecule has been considered on different kinds of tumors but especially on hormone dependent breast cancer.

THE PLASMINOGEN ACTIVATION SYSTEM IN CELL MIGRATION

For several decades, it has been assumed that plasminogen activation may play an important role in tumor invasion and metastasis. The basic idea is that plasminogen activators released from cancer cells catalyze the proteolytic conversion of the inactive zymogen plasminogen to the active proteinase plasmin, which in turn catalyzes degradation of proteins in basement membranes and extracellular matrix (ECM) and thus facilitates cancer cell invasion into the surrounding tissue.

STRESS PROTEINS IN EXERCISE ADAPTATION

Intracellular protein destroying and impairment of their synthesis result in disturbance of cell homeostasis and can lead to cell death. Counteracting these changes the cell induces synthesis of stress proteins among others. Physical exercise has stress attributes, especially if it is a long-lasting and intensive one. It can be assumed that this will bring about an intensification of stress protein expression what was experimentally confirmed. However the significance of this reaction is not fully clear taking into account the variety of functions the stress protein act in the organism.

The Editorial Board
Andrzej Łukaszyk - przewodniczący, Zofia Bielańska-Osuchowska, Szczepan Biliński, Mieczysław Chorąży, Aleksander Koj, Włodzimierz Korochoda, Leszek Kuźnicki, Aleksandra Stojałowska, Lech Wojtczak

Editorial address:
Katedra i Zakład Histologii i Embriologii Uniwersytetu Medycznego w Poznaniu, ul. Święcickiego 6, 60-781 Poznań, tel. +48 61 8546453, fax. +48 61 8546440, email: mnowicki@ump.edu.pl

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