Control of 92 kDa collagenase secretion in mammalian cells by modulation of AP-1 activity: an experimentally based...

Collagenolytic enzymes control cell migration through connective tissues. They appear to be of crucial importance for angiogenesis, tumor metastasis or wound repair. A well-documented stimulation pathway of collagenase secretion, either by natural (cytokines) or synthetic (phorbol esters) molecules, acts through activation of the proto-oncogene activating protein 1 (AP-1). Interestingly, this nuclear factor enhances its own synthesis. It also modulates the activity of different genes, including the one coding for 92 kDa gelatinase. We developed a mathematical model to describe this pathway. It led us to conjecture the existence of an hysteresis cycle for PMA-stimulated collagenase secretion, which was experimentally demonstrated later in MDBK cells in culture. We also modified our model to simulate the behavior of tumoral cells expressing AP-1. In this case, the system becomes highly unstable and, once stimulated, cannot be brought back to rest. This approach paved the way for the understanding and the control of mammalian cell processes, connective tissue maintenance or metastasis dissemination.