METABOLISM OF AUTOCRINE PEPTIDES--SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER

小细胞肺癌（即小燕麦细胞癌）占 大约25%的可识别的人类肺癌。 这 恶性肿瘤生长速度快， 转移和快速生长的倾向。 仅在亚利桑那州， 每年有2,400个新的肺癌诊断病例。 的 这2,400例中，600例是小细胞肺癌的新病例， （SCLC）。 这项建议旨在研究和开发潜力 小细胞肺癌生长抑制剂通过抑制 由SCLC产生的某些肽激素的形成 细胞 已知这些肽激素通过以下方式影响SCLC： 增加其异常生长的可能性。 的假设 我们将测试的是，SCLC产生代谢“副产物”肽 激素通过较大的“亲本”蛋白质的蛋白水解代谢， 这些肽导致小细胞肺癌生长。 如果我们能控制 通过抑制这些肽激素的产生， 负责其形成的酶，那么我们就可以 控制SCLC生长。 我们的研究方法可以被视为 试图破坏导致SCLC的一系列事件 通过改变所需催化剂的形成来生长 （肽）负责疾病的许多症状。 我们的长期目标是开发一种药物（肽酶抑制剂） 能够作用于SCLC产生的肽。 以这种方式 我们将控制SCLC的增长， 肽激素的形成， 由于SCLC分泌过多而产生的有害副作用 细胞

Small cell lung cancer (i.e. small oat-cell carcinoma) accounts for approximately 25% of all identifiable human lung cancers. This malignant neoplasm has a rapid growth rate and shows a propensity to metastasize and grow rapidly. In Arizona alone, there are 2,400 new cases of lung cancer diagnosed each year. Of these 2,400 cases, 600 are new cases of small cell lung cancer (SCLC). This proposal is designed to study and develop potential inhibitors of small cell lung cancer growth by inhibiting the formation of certain peptide hormones produced by the SCLC cells. These peptide hormones are known to affect SCLC by increasing its potential for abnormal growth. The hypothesis that we will test is that SCLC produces metabolic "byproduct" peptide hormones by proteolytic metabolism of larger "parent" proteins, and that these peptides cause SCLC to grow. If we can control the production of these peptide hormones by inhibiting the enzymes responsible for their formation, then we may be able to control SCLC growth. Our research approach can be seen as attempting to disrupt a cascade of events responsible for SCLC growth by altering the formation of the necessary catalysts (peptides) responsible for many of the symptoms of the disease. Our long term objective is to develop a drug (peptidase inhibitor) capable of acting on peptides produced from SCLC. In this way we will be controlling the growth of SCLC, and also controlling the formation of peptide hormones which have serious and deleterious side effects due to their hypersecretion from SCLC cells.