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)

Pro-protein convertases such as furin are expressed in many human tumor lines and primary tumors. Furin processes stromelysin-3, membrane type 1 matrix metalloproteinase (MMPs) involved in tumor cell invasiveness, as well as growth factors such as transforming growth factor beta1. Evaluation of furin expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cells exhibiting different invasive ability showed that furin overexpression correlated with their respective invasiveness. The use of a selective furin inhibitor, alpha 1-PDX (PDX) was studied in three furin-expressing invasive HNSCC cell lines. The effects of PDX transfection were evaluated in vivo and in vitro to determine changes in the malignant phenotype. Transfection of HNSCC cell lines with PDX resulted in significant decrease or absence of tumorigenicity after s.c. inoculation into severe combined immunodeficient mice. Likewise, in vitro invasiveness was reduced approximately 50%. The in vivo invasion assay using tracheal xenotransplants showed even more drastic reductions of the invasive ability of PDX-transfected cells (up to an 80% decrease). PDX-transfected cells did not invade or penetrated less into the tracheal wall tissues than their vector alone-transfected counterparts. In addition, the former cells showed a remarkable decrease in MMP-2 processing and activity. After PDX transfection the cells were less efficient in processing the tumor progression-associated furin substrates transforming growth factor beta1 and pro-membrane type 1-MMP. These findings indicate that furin inhibition is a feasible approach to attenuate and even abolish certain critical attributes of the advanced malignant phenotype. Thus, furin should be considered as a promising target for cancer therapy.
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PMID:Furin inhibition results in absent or decreased invasiveness and tumorigenicity of human cancer cells. 1151 38

The MMP-11 proteinase, also known as stromelysin-3, probably plays an important role in human cancer because MMP-11 is frequently overexpressed in human tumors and MMP-11 levels affect tumorogenesis in mice. Unlike other MMPs, however, human MMP-11 does not cleave extracellular matrix proteins, such as collagen, laminin, fibronectin, and elastin. To help identify physiologic MMP-11 substrates, a phage display library was used to find peptide substrates for MMP-11. One class of peptides containing 26 members had the consensus sequence A(A/Q)(N/A) downward arrow (L/Y)(T/V/M/R)(R/K), where downward arrow denotes the cleavage site. This consensus sequence was similar to that for other MMPs, which also cleave peptides containing Ala in position 3, Ala in position 1, and Leu/Tyr in position 1', but differed from most other MMP substrates in that proline was rarely found in position 3 and Asn was frequently found in position 1. A second class of peptides containing four members had the consensus sequence G(G/A)E downward arrow LR. Although other MMPs also cleave peptides with these residues, other MMPs prefer proline at position 3 in this sequence. In vitro assays with MMP-11 and representative peptides from both classes yielded modest kcat/Km values relative to values found for other MMPs with their preferred peptide substrates. These reactions also showed that peptides with proline in position 3 were poor substrates for MMP-11. A structural basis for the lower kcat/Km values of human MMP-11, relative to other MMPs, and poor cleavage of position 3 proline substrates by MMP-11 is provided. Taken together, these findings explain why MMP-11 does not cleave most other MMP substrates and predict that MMP-11 has unique substrates that may contribute to human cancer.
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PMID:Identification of peptide substrates for human MMP-11 (stromelysin-3) using phage display. 1273 79

In human carcinomas, stromelysin-3/matrix metalloproteinase 11 (ST3, MMP11) expression by nonmalignant fibroblastic cells located in the immediate vicinity of cancer cells is a bad prognostic factor. Using mouse models of primary tumors, it has been demonstrated that ST3 is a key player during local invasion, favoring cancer cell survival in connective tissue through an antiapoptotic function. To investigate the ST3 impact on additional phases of cancer cell invasion, we developed mammary gland cancer prone MMTV-ras transgenic mice in wild-type (ras+/+;ST3+/+) or ST3-deficient (ras+/+;ST3-/-) genotype and studied their whole natural cancer history. The tumor-free survival and delay between the first ras oncogenic hit and primary tumor appearance increased in ras+/+;ST3-/- mice (P < 0.000001 and <0.0000007, respectively). A systematic search for occult primary tumors and metastases revealed, in addition to a lower total number and size of primary tumors (P < 0.02), an unexpected higher number of metastases (P < 0.01) in ras+/+;ST3-/- mice. Moreover, for a similar number and size of primary invasive tumors, ras+/+;ST3-/- mice developed more metastases, indicating that the cancer cells evolving in ST3-deficient stroma have an increased potential to hematogenous dissemination. We conclude that the ST3 microenvironment is a consistently active partner of invading cancer cells but that its function differs throughout cancer progression, being tumor enhancer or repressor in processes leading to local or distal invasion. Such a dual effect for an MMP might shed light, at least partially, for the absence of survival benefit for patients included in anti-MMP clinical trials.
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PMID:Dual stromelysin-3 function during natural mouse mammary tumor virus-ras tumor progression. 1452 8

The mechanisms responsible for prostate cancer metastasis are incompletely understood at both the cellular and molecular levels. In this regard, chemokines are a family of small, cytokine-like proteins that induce motility of neoplastic cells, leukocytes and cancer cells. The current study evaluates the molecular mechanisms of CXCL12 and CXCR4 in prostate cancer cell migration and invasion. We report that functional CXCR4 is significantly expressed by prostate cancer cell lines, LNCaP and PC3, when compared with normal prostatic epithelial cells (PrEC). As measured using motility and invasion chamber assays, prostate cancer cells migrated and invaded through extracellular matrix components in response to CXCL12, at rates that corresponded to CXCR4 expression. Anti-CXCR4 antibodies (Abs) significantly impaired the migration and invasive potential of PC3 and LNCaP cells. CXCL12 induction also enhanced collagenase-1 (metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1)) expression by LNCaP and PC3 cells. Collagenase-3 (MMP-13) was expressed by prostate cancer cells, but it was not expressed by PrEC cells or modulated by CXCL12. CXCL12 increased MMP-2 expression by LNCaP and PC3; however, MMP-9 expression was elevated only in PC3 cells after CXCL12-CXCR4 ligation. PC3 cells also expressed high levels of stromelysin-1 (MMP-3) after CXCL12 stimulation. CXCL12 also significantly increased stromelysin-2 (MMP-10) expression by LNCaP cells. Stromelysin-3 (MMP-11) was expressed by LNCaP cells, but not by PC3 or PrEC cells and CXCL12 induced PC3 MMP-11 expression. Membrane type-1 MMP (MMP-14) was not expressed by PrEC or LNCaP cells, but CXCL12 significantly enhanced MMP-14 expression by PC3 cells. These studies reveal important cellular and molecular mechanisms of CXCR4/CXCL12-mediated prostate cancer cell migration and invasion.
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PMID:CXCL12-CXCR4 interactions modulate prostate cancer cell migration, metalloproteinase expression and invasion. 1546 30

The initial invasive processes during cancer development remain largely unknown. Stromelysin-3/matrix metalloproteinase 11 (ST3/MMP11) is associated with tumor invasion and poor prognosis. We present novel evidence that adipocytes present at human breast tumor invasive front are induced by cancer cells to express ST3. Using mouse syngeneic model, light and electron microscopy showed that in ST3-deficient mice but not in wild-type mice, forced cancer cell-adipocyte interaction/crosstalk results in adipocyte membrane alteration, allowing cancer cell fat infiltration and death. Thus, adipocytes are involved in initial cancer cell survival into connective tissue, and this effect is ST3 mediated. This suggested that ST3 might play a role in adipocyte metabolism. Accordingly, ST3-deficient mice exhibited fat excess and increased mRNA levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) and adipocyte protein 2 (aP2) adipogenic markers, indicating that, in vivo, ST3 negatively regulates fat homeostasis. Moreover, ST3-deficient mouse embryonic fibroblasts exhibited a dramatic enhanced potential to differentiate into adipocytes associated with increased PPARgamma and aP2 expression, and recombinant ST3 treatment reverted their differentiation. Thus, in vitro, ST3 reduces adipocyte differentiation in an autocrine manner. High fibroblasts/adipocytes ratio is a stroma feature, and peritumoral fibroblast origin remains debated. Our results support the concept that invading cancer cells aberrantly restore the negative ST3 function on adipogenesis into proximal adipocytes/preadipocytes, leading to the accumulation/maintenance of a particular peritumoral fibroblast subpopulation. Accordingly, in human breast tumors, we observed that ST3-expressing peritumoral fibroblasts are distinct from alpha-smooth muscle actin-expressing myofibroblasts. This constitutes the first report of implication of a MMP in cancer cell-adipocyte interaction/crosstalk during early steps of connective tissue invasion.
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PMID:Stromelysin-3 is a potent negative regulator of adipogenesis participating to cancer cell-adipocyte interaction/crosstalk at the tumor invasive front. 1632 33

Matrix metalloproteinase-11 (MMP-11) belongs to the particular member of MMP family, a group of zinc-dependent endopeptidases involved in tumor progression, invasion and metastasis. MMP-11 is strongly expressed in tumor cells and stromal fibroblasts located in the immediate vicinity of tumor. This study investigated the possible role of MMP-11 expression in mouse hepatocarcinoma cell line Hca-F with highly lymphatic metastasis potential by RNA interference (RNAi) approach. The results showed that a small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeted against MMP-11 significantly impeded Hca-F cells proliferation and colony formation in soft agar, as well as resulted in Hca-F cell apoptosis. This reduction of MMP-11 expression also led to the decreased migration and adhesion of Hca-F cells dramatically both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, in vivo metastasis assay indicated that down-regulation of MMP-11 expression in Hca-F cells attenuated the metastatic potential of Hca-F cells to peripheral lymph nodes. These data together provide compelling evidence into the function of MMP-11 and suggest that MMP-11 act as a tumor lymphatic metastasis-associated gene, and could represent a new potential target for gene therapy.
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PMID:siRNA targeted against matrix metalloproteinase 11 inhibits the metastatic capability of murine hepatocarcinoma cell Hca-F to lymph nodes. 1762 64

Epiblast cells in the early chick embryo differentiate to form all three germ layers through ingression of cells at the primitive streak across the basement membrane that underlies the epiblast. We tested the idea that degradation of the extracellular matrix components by matrix metalloproteinase(s) (MMPs) is involved in this process. Epiblast cells and primitive streak cells were dissociated into single cells and seeded onto a reconstituted basement membrane gel in vitro. Following overnight culture, approximately half the cells made holes in the substratum by dissolving the gel matrix. This invasive phenomenon was reproduced in vitro even when the cells were cultured upside down using a hanging culture system. We detected gelatinase activity in the culture supernatants from both prestreak epiblast cells and primitive streak cells. Pro-MMP-2 was detected in the culture media of the prestreak/streak cells as a 72-kDa band by gelatin zymography. In RT-PCR experiments, mRNAs for MMP-2, membrane-type (MT)3-MMP and MMP-11(stromelysin-3) were expressed in the epiblast cells before and during primitive streak formation. Injection of GM 6001 or other MMP inhibitors into the subgerminal cavity of the embryo inhibited the formation of the primitive streak and/or the primitive groove in more than 82% of the injected embryos. On the other hand, injection of a negative control compound instead of GM 6001 did not cause substantial inhibition. These results suggest that MMPs are involved in the enzymatic degradation of the basement membrane underlying the epiblast and are thus important for the ingression of mesendodermal cells along the primitive streak.
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PMID:Invasion by matrix metalloproteinase-expressing cells is important for primitive streak formation in early chick blastoderm. 2016 Apr 29

The extracellular matrix (ECM) of the myotendinous junction (MTJ) undergoes dramatic physical and biochemical remodeling during the first 48 h of development in zebrafish, transforming from a rectangular fibronectin-dominated somite boundary to a chevron-shaped laminin-dominated MTJ. Matrix metalloproteinase 11 (Mmp11, a.k.a. Stromelysin-3) is both necessary and sufficient for the removal of fibronectin at the MTJ, but whether this protease acts directly on fibronectin and how its activity is regulated remain unknown. Using immunofluorescence, we show that both paralogues of Mmp11 accumulate at the MTJ during this time period, but with Mmp11a present early and later replaced by Mmp11b. Moreover, Mmp11a also accumulates intracellularly, associated with the Z-discs of sarcomeres within skeletal muscle cells. Using the epitope-mediated MMP activation (EMMA) assay, we show that despite having a weaker paired basic amino acid motif in its propeptide than Mmp11b, Mmp11a is activated by furin, but may also be activated by other mechanisms intracellularly. One or both paralogues of tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase-4 (Timp4) are also present at the MTJ throughout this process, and yeast two-hybrid assays reveal distinct and specific interactions between various domains of these proteins. We propose a model in which Mmp11a activity is modulated (but not inhibited) by Timp4 during early MTJ remodeling, followed by a phase in which Mmp11b activity is both inhibited and spatially constrained by Timp4 in order to maintain the structural integrity of the mature MTJ.
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PMID:Paralogues of Mmp11 and Timp4 Interact during the Development of the Myotendinous Junction in the Zebrafish Embryo. 3181 58


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