Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.4.24.23 (MMP)
 4,246 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A fragment of rat thoracic aorta within type I collagen gel was employed as a model of angiogenesis, including the processes of cell migration, proliferation and capillary tube formation. Endogenous angiogenic factors in this model were studied. Expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor, and proteolytic enzyme activities (matrix metalloprotease-2; MMP-2 and plasminogen activator; PA) increased during angiogenesis. The angiogenesis was inhibited by VEGF receptor kinase inhibitor and MMP inhibitor, confirming that these endogenous factors played an important role in angiogenesis. Interestingly, these inhibitors induced different capillary morphologies, including differences of cell migration and sprouting. Furthermore, dexamethasone (a down-regulator of MMP and PA) and TNP-470 (an endothelial cell growth inhibitor) induced another capillary morphology. The results suggest that the capillary structure in this model is dramatically influenced by the inhibition of angiogenic signalling and extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation. We also found that a novel angiogenesis inhibitor, the microbial metabolite luminacin, which was recently identified by us (Wakabayashi et al., J. Antiobiot., 53, 591-596 (2000)), induced a different morphology compared with other inhibitors examined, suggesting that it has a unique mechanism of action. Our results indicate that this rat aorta model should be useful for screening novel angiogenesis inhibitors.
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PMID:Characterization of rat aortic fragment within collagen gel as an angiogenesis model; capillary morphology may reflect the action mechanisms of angiogenesis inhibitors. 1199 22

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is associated with an intense fibrotic reaction around the tumor known as desmoplastic reaction. This tissue is composed of interstitial matrix, predominantly type I collagen, together with proliferating fibroblastic cells. Despite the recognized importance of tumor-stromal interactions, very little is known about the interactions among pancreatic cells, myofibroblasts, and the interstitial matrix. The current study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that the desmoplastic reaction alters PDAC gene expression and cellular behavior. Evaluation of human pancreatic specimens showed increased fibrosis and enhanced membrane type 1-matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) expression in tumor specimens compared with normal pancreas. Using an in vitro model of tumor cell-stromal interactions, type I collagen and the extracellular matrix deposited by pancreatic fibroblasts and PDAC cells regulated motility of human papillomavirus-immortalized human pancreatic ductal epithelial (HPDE) cells. These "stromal" matrices also regulated MT1-MMP expression by HPDE cells, without affecting the expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 2. Treatment with transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) type I receptor kinase inhibitors and function-blocking anti-TGF-beta1 antibody abrogated matrix-mediated MT1-MMP induction. TGF-beta1 also promoted MT1-MMP-dependent migration by HPDE cells. Moreover, compared with normal tissue, there was increased TGF-beta1 signaling in grade 3 tumor specimens as shown by increased phospho-Smad2 staining. These data show that the crosstalk between cancer cells and stromal elements mediated by TGF-beta1 influences cell surface- and pericellular matrix-degrading potential in vitro and may contribute to pancreatic cancer progression in vivo.
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PMID:Extracellular matrix-mediated membrane-type 1 matrix metalloproteinase expression in pancreatic ductal cells is regulated by transforming growth factor-beta1. 1684 48