Urokinase Plasminogen Activator Surface Receptor / uPAR / CD87 (PLAUR) Antibody

Description

The urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor is a key molecule in the regulation of cell-surface plasminogen activation and plays an important role in many normal as well as pathologic processes. The human PLAUR cDNA encodes 335 amino acids including a predicted signal peptide of 22 residues and a hydrophobic C-terminal portion.1 It produces a highly glycosylated protein of about 50 kD in monocytes where it is anchored to the plasma membrane by glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol linkage. PLAUR, also known as UPAR, is directly associated with the carbohydrate-binding domain of SELL in the membrane of neutrophils, an association analogous to that between PLAUR and beta-2 integrins.2 PLAUR-mediated calcium mobilization is SELL dependent. UPAR mRNA levels correlate with the invasive potential of endometrial carcinomas and show a 33-fold increase in UPAR mRNA levels in advanced clinical stage endometrial tumors compared with normal endometrial tissue.3 Furthermore, the increase in UPAR mRNA levels correlated linearly with the progression of disease stage. UPAR protein expressioin correlated positively with rate of recurrence and mortality in patients with endometrial cancer.4 UPAR appears to be a useful prognostic marker for advanced endometrial cancer.