Abstract
Basement membrane functions as a barrier against the invasion of cancer cells; therefore, the investigation of the mechanism of basement membrane degradation by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) is important. MMPs are a family of more than 25 endopeptidases dependent on zinc and share a common modular domain structure. In the past, it was thought that cancer cells self-produced MMPs; however, current views indicate that most MMPs in cancer are made by stromal cells rather than cancer cells.
EMMPRIN (Extracellular Matrix Metalloproteinase Inducer), a glycoprotein to stimulate stromal cells to produce MMPs, was first extracted from human lung cancer cells. Soluble EMMPRIN acted on stromal cells both adjacent and distant from cancer sites in paracrine fashion, and further stimulated the production of MMPs and additional EMMPRIN, which consequently contributes to cancer invasion, and metastasis. Recent studies suggest that the role of MMPs in cancer is far more complicated than initially presumed. MMPs promoted cell migration and the release of growth factors sequestered in the extracellular matrix.
In this study, we confirmed that EMMPRIN and soluble EMMPRIN were expressed in human laryngeal cancer cells. We investigated the effects of soluble EMMPRIN on fibroblasts which belong to stromal cells to induce production of MMPs. Our present study suggests that soluble EMMPRIN may promote cancer cells invasion and migration indirectly.
