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Tumour invasion and matrix metalloproteinases
Myriam Polette1, Béatrice Nawrocki-Raby, Christine Gilles
1I.N.S.E.R.M. UMR-S 514, I.F.R. 53, Laboratoire Pol Bouin, CHU Reims 51100, France. myriam.polette@univ-reims.fr
Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology
|March 24, 2004
Summary
Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are enzymes crucial for tumor invasion, produced by both stromal and tumor cells. They degrade the extracellular matrix, aiding tumor spread and angiogenesis.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are key proteolytic enzymes involved in cancer progression.
- Their expression is often linked to tumor-stromal cell co-operation in carcinomas.
- MMPs can be produced by both stromal cells and tumor cells, particularly during epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the multifaceted roles of MMPs in tumor invasion and related processes.
- To highlight the contribution of MMPs to extracellular matrix degradation and its consequences.
- To explore the involvement of MMPs in angiogenesis and growth factor regulation.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on MMPs in cancer.
- Analysis of studies investigating MMP expression in various carcinoma types.
- Examination of data linking MMPs to epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, invasion, and angiogenesis.
Main Results:
- MMPs facilitate tumor invasion primarily through extracellular matrix degradation.
- Degradation products, known as matrikins, contribute to invasion and angiogenesis.
- MMPs also impact tumor progression by degrading cell adhesion molecules and modulating growth factors.
Conclusions:
- Matrix metalloproteinases play a critical and diverse role in promoting tumor invasion and metastasis.
- Understanding MMP functions is vital for developing targeted cancer therapies.
- MMPs represent significant therapeutic targets due to their involvement in multiple stages of cancer progression.