Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2026

Organotypic Collagen I Assay: A Malleable Platform to Assess Cell Behaviour in a 3-Dimensional Context
Published on: October 13, 2011
Type I collagen degradation by invasive oral squamous cell carcinoma
B L Ziober1, M A Turner, J M Palefsky
1Department of Stomatology, University of California San Francisco, Box 0512, 521 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA. bziober@mail.med.upenn.edu
Abstract:
Expression of extracellular matrix-degrading proteases is required for tumor cell invasion. In the present study we examined the production of type I collagen-degrading matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in the invasive oral squamous cell carcinoma-derived cell line HSC-3. In the absence of serum or exogenous growth factors, HSC-3 cells displayed no collagen degradation activity. Addition of serum slightly increased collagen proteolysis. However, addition of epidermal growth factor (EGF) resulted in nearly complete degradation of the collagen matrix. Zymography showed that MMP-2 and -9 are secreted by HSC-3 cells. EGF stimulated secretion of an additional gelatinase with a molecular weight similar to that of MMP-1. Immunoblotting of conditioned medium confirmed that EGF and, to a lesser degree type I collagen, increased production of MMP-1. Finally, in situ hybridization revealed intense expression of MMP-1 in oral squamous cell carcinoma specimens. Together, these results indicate that MMP-1 is expressed, induced by EGF, and required for type I collagen degradation in oral squamous cell carcinoma.
Related Concept Videos
Fibril-associated Collagen
For example, the type II collagen fibrils in cartilage have covalently bound type IX fibril-associated collagens at regular intervals. Other types of fibril-associated collagens are...
Role of Matrix Metalloproteases in Degradation of ECM
A...
Type IV Collagen of Basal Lamina
A type IV collagen molecule has six alpha chains which can exist in...
Phases of Wound Repair
Formation of Blood Clot
In case of deep injuries, trauma to blood vessels results in blood loss. In the meantime, phospholipids released from the ruptured endothelial cellular membrane are converted into arachidonic...
Healing II: Complications

