Dissemin is shutting down on January 1st, 2025

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MDPI, Cancers, 11(12), p. 3138, 2020

DOI: 10.3390/cancers12113138

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AGTR1 Is Overexpressed in Neuroendocrine Neoplasms, Regulates Secretion and May Potentially Serve as a Target for Molecular Imaging and Therapy

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

This study identified and confirmed angiotensin II (ATII) as a strong activator of signaling in neuroendocrine neoplasm (NEN) cells. Expression analyses of the ATII receptor type 1 (AGTR1) revealed an upregulation of mRNA levels (RT-qPCR) and radioligand binding (autoradiography) in small-intestinal (n = 71) NEN tissues compared to controls (n = 25). NEN cells with high AGTR1 expression exhibited concentration-dependent calcium mobilization and chromogranin A secretion upon stimulation with ATII, blocked by AGTR1 antagonism and Gαq inhibition. ATII also stimulated serotonin secretion from BON cells. AGTR1 ligand saralasin was coupled to a near-infrared fluorescent (NIRF) dye and tested for its biodistribution in a nude mouse model bearing AGTR1-positive BON and negative QGP-1 xenograft tumors. NIRF imaging showed significantly higher uptake in BON tumors. This proof of concept establishes AGTR1 as a novel target in NEN, paving the way for translational chelator-based probes for diagnostic PET imaging and radioligand therapy.