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Familial adenomatous polyposis is associated with a marked decrease in alkaline sphingomyelinase activity: a key factor to the unrestrained cell proliferation?

Hertervig, Erik LU ; Nilsson, Åke LU ; Bjork, J ; Hultkrantz, R and Duan, Rui-Dong LU (1999) In British Journal of Cancer 81(2). p.232-236
Abstract
The hydrolysis of sphingomyelin generates key molecules regulating cell growth and inducing apoptosis. Data from animal cancer models support an inhibitory role for this pathway in the malignant transformation of the colonic mucosa. In the intestinal tract, a sphingomyelinase with an optimum alkaline pH has been identified. We recently found that the activity of alkaline sphingomyelinase is significantly decreased in colorectal adenocarcinomas, indicating a potential anticarcinogenic role of this enzyme. To further examine whether the reduction of sphingomyelinase is present already in the premalignant state of neoplastic transformation, we measured sphingomyelinase activities in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and in... (More)
The hydrolysis of sphingomyelin generates key molecules regulating cell growth and inducing apoptosis. Data from animal cancer models support an inhibitory role for this pathway in the malignant transformation of the colonic mucosa. In the intestinal tract, a sphingomyelinase with an optimum alkaline pH has been identified. We recently found that the activity of alkaline sphingomyelinase is significantly decreased in colorectal adenocarcinomas, indicating a potential anticarcinogenic role of this enzyme. To further examine whether the reduction of sphingomyelinase is present already in the premalignant state of neoplastic transformation, we measured sphingomyelinase activities in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and in sporadic colorectal tubulovillous adenomas. Tissue samples were taken from adenomas and surrounding macroscopically normal mucosa from 11 FAP patients operated with ileorectal anastomosis, from three FAP patients with intact colon, from 13 patients with sporadic colorectal adenomas and from 12 controls. Activities of acid, neutral and alkaline sphingomyelinase were measured together with alkaline phosphatase. In FAP adenoma tissue, alkaline sphingomyelinase activity was reduced by 90% compared to controls (P < 0.0001), acid sphingomyelinase by 66% (P < 0.01) and neutral sphingomyelinase by 54% (P < 0.05). Similar reductions were found in the surrounding mucosa. In sporadic adenoma tissue, only alkaline sphingomyelinase was reduced significantly, by 57% (P < 0.05). Alkaline phosphatase was not changed in FAP adenomas, but decreased in the sporadic adenomas. We conclude that the markedly reduced levels of alkaline sphingomyelinase activities in FAP adenomas and in the surrounding mucosa may be a pathogenic factor that can lead to unrestrained cell proliferation and neoplastic transformation. (Less)
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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
FAP, alkaline sphingomyelinase, adenoma, tumorigenesis, human
in
British Journal of Cancer
volume
81
issue
2
pages
232 - 236
publisher
Nature Publishing Group
external identifiers
  • pmid:10496347
  • scopus:0032857215
ISSN
1532-1827
DOI
10.1038/sj.bjc.6690682
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
a1633ec3-d291-4b25-b728-80093f68a2b1 (old id 1114564)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 11:54:58
date last changed
2024-01-08 01:20:12
@article{a1633ec3-d291-4b25-b728-80093f68a2b1,
  abstract     = {{The hydrolysis of sphingomyelin generates key molecules regulating cell growth and inducing apoptosis. Data from animal cancer models support an inhibitory role for this pathway in the malignant transformation of the colonic mucosa. In the intestinal tract, a sphingomyelinase with an optimum alkaline pH has been identified. We recently found that the activity of alkaline sphingomyelinase is significantly decreased in colorectal adenocarcinomas, indicating a potential anticarcinogenic role of this enzyme. To further examine whether the reduction of sphingomyelinase is present already in the premalignant state of neoplastic transformation, we measured sphingomyelinase activities in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and in sporadic colorectal tubulovillous adenomas. Tissue samples were taken from adenomas and surrounding macroscopically normal mucosa from 11 FAP patients operated with ileorectal anastomosis, from three FAP patients with intact colon, from 13 patients with sporadic colorectal adenomas and from 12 controls. Activities of acid, neutral and alkaline sphingomyelinase were measured together with alkaline phosphatase. In FAP adenoma tissue, alkaline sphingomyelinase activity was reduced by 90% compared to controls (P &lt; 0.0001), acid sphingomyelinase by 66% (P &lt; 0.01) and neutral sphingomyelinase by 54% (P &lt; 0.05). Similar reductions were found in the surrounding mucosa. In sporadic adenoma tissue, only alkaline sphingomyelinase was reduced significantly, by 57% (P &lt; 0.05). Alkaline phosphatase was not changed in FAP adenomas, but decreased in the sporadic adenomas. We conclude that the markedly reduced levels of alkaline sphingomyelinase activities in FAP adenomas and in the surrounding mucosa may be a pathogenic factor that can lead to unrestrained cell proliferation and neoplastic transformation.}},
  author       = {{Hertervig, Erik and Nilsson, Åke and Bjork, J and Hultkrantz, R and Duan, Rui-Dong}},
  issn         = {{1532-1827}},
  keywords     = {{FAP; alkaline sphingomyelinase; adenoma; tumorigenesis; human}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{232--236}},
  publisher    = {{Nature Publishing Group}},
  series       = {{British Journal of Cancer}},
  title        = {{Familial adenomatous polyposis is associated with a marked decrease in alkaline sphingomyelinase activity: a key factor to the unrestrained cell proliferation?}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/sj.bjc.6690682}},
  doi          = {{10.1038/sj.bjc.6690682}},
  volume       = {{81}},
  year         = {{1999}},
}