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Research article - Peer-reviewed, 2013

Serum thymidine kinase activity in clinically healthy and diseased cats: a potential biomarker for lymphoma

Taylor, Samantha S.; Dodkin, Steve; Papasouliotis, Kostas; Evans, Helen; Graham, Peter A.; Belshaw, Zoe; Westberg, Sara; Von Euler, Henrik

Abstract

The thymidine kinases are enzymes that convert deoxythymidine to deoxythymidine monophosphate and have a function in DNA synthesis. Rapidly proliferating cells will have higher levels of thymidine kinase. Serum thymidine kinase activity (sTK) is a useful tumour marker in humans and dogs, with utility as a prognostic indicator in lymphoma. In the current study serum samples were collected from 49 clinically healthy cats, 33 with lymphoma, 55 with inflammatory disease and 34 with non-haematopoietic neoplasia (NHPN). sTK was measured using a radioenzyme assay and a reference interval (1.96 x SD) was established from the clinically healthy cats (< 5.5 U/l). Mean sTK activity for healthy cats was 2.2 U/l (range 0.8-8.4, +/- SD 1.7). Mean sTK activity for cats with lymphoma was 17.5 U/l (range 1.0-100.0 SD +/- 27.4). Mean sTK activity for cats with NHPN was 4.2 U/l (range 1.0-45.0, SD +/- 8.6). Mean sTK activity for the inflammatory group was 3.4 U/l (range 1.0-19.6, SD 3.9). Cats with lymphoma had significantly higher sTK activity than healthy cats or cats with inflammatory disease (P < 0.0001) and cats with NHPN (P < 0.0002). sTK activity is a potentially useful biomarker for feline lymphoma and further study is required to assess its utility as a prognostic indicator.

Published in

Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery
2013, volume: 15, number: 2, pages: 142-147
Publisher: SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD

Authors' information

Taylor, Samantha S.
University of Bristol
Dodkin, Steve
University of Bristol
Papasouliotis, Kostas
University of Bristol
Evans, Helen
Cambridge Specialist Laboratory Services
Graham, Peter A.
Cambridge Specialist Laboratory Services
Belshaw, Zoe
University of Cambridge
Westberg, Sara (Saellström, Sara)
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, University Animal Hospital
Von Euler, Henrik (Rönnberg, Henrik)
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Clinical Sciences

UKÄ Subject classification

Other Veterinary Science

Publication Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1098612X12463928

URI (permanent link to this page)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/53791