Serum glycyl-l-prolyl 4-methyl-coumaryl-7-amide (gly-pro-MCA) hydrolase (DPP IV) and L-lysyl-L-alanyl beta-naphthylamide (lys-ala-beta NA) hydrolase (assumed to be DPP II) activities were measured in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma and healthy subjects. The mean serum DPP IV activity of all cancer patients was significantly (P less than 0.001) decreased, compared with that of healthy subjects. Although there was no significant difference between the stages by International Union Against Cancer (UICC) classification (1978), DPP IV levels tended to change dynamically, reflecting the clinical status during therapies. The serum DPP IV activity of patients with a fair prognosis was significantly elevated toward the normal range, whereas the activity of patients with a poor prognosis was significantly decreased (P less than 0.05). In contrast, the mean serum lys-ala-beta NA hydrolytic activity of cancer patients was significantly (P less than 0.001) increased, compared with that of healthy subjects, and was changed reciprocally to DPP IV activity. The correlation of these two serum enzyme activities with tumor weights also was observed in animal models using nude mice transplanted with human KB carcinoma cells and hamsters transplanted with BHK21 cells. These results indicate that these serum enzyme levels may become an aid for the diagnosis of malignant tumors and for estimating the prognosis of the patients.
The concentration of inosine 5 0 -monophosphate (IMP) in beef is an important factor contributing to beef palatability. A previous study suggested that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the ecto-5 0 -nucleotidase (NT5E) gene strongly affect the concentration of IMP under postmortem conditions by regulating NT5E enzymatic activity in beef. Genotyping of the NT5E gene is performed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) or real-time PCR assay. However, these conventional laboratory assays require large installed instruments. They also involve complicated procedures and are time-consuming. Here, the PCR primers and probes for the NT5E gene (rs42508588 SNP) were designed and synthesized, and we examined the rapid genotyping of the NT5E gene using a Pico-Gene PCR 1100 mobile PCR device. The results showed that this system enabled rapid amplification of each allele at approximately 19.4 s per cycle, with a total run time of 13 min 36 s. This device is portable and does not require a power supply, which facilitates its use not only in specific laboratories but also in meat production farms and distribution stages of beef.
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