abstract |
A monoclonal or polyclonal antibody directed against the urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (u-PAR), or a subsequence, analog or glycosylation variant thereof. Antibodies reacting with free u-PAR or complexes between u-PA and u-PAR are described which are capable of 1) catching u-PAR by ELISA technique or 2) detecting u-PAR, eg. by "blot effect", or 3) to precipitate purified u-PAR intact or in fragments by radio-immunoprecipitation, or 4) to be used for the immunohistochemical detection of u-PAR, eg. by immunostaining of cancer cells, in sections of tissue found for example in the invasion front, or 5) to inhibit the binding of active pro-u-PAR and u-PA and thereby inhibit the activation of cell surface plasminogen. Methods are described for 1) detecting or quantifying u-PAR, 2) targeting a diagnosis on a cell containing u-PAR on its surface, 3) preventing or counteracting proteolytic activity in mammals. The methods for selecting a substance capable of inhibiting the u-PA / u-PAR interaction, of preventing or counteracting localized proteolytic activity in mammals, and of inhibiting invasion and / or metastasis include the use of said methods antibodies and nude mice inoculated with human cancer cells known to invade and / or change to metastasis in mice and having a distinct color, e.g. obtained by an enzyme and a chromogenic substrate by said enzyme, the color being different from that of mouse cells. |