Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 25, 2025

MAME Models for 4D Live-cell Imaging of Tumor: Microenvironment Interactions that Impact Malignant Progression
08:26

MAME Models for 4D Live-cell Imaging of Tumor: Microenvironment Interactions that Impact Malignant Progression

Published on: February 17, 2012

14.6K

Molecular Mechanisms Driven by MT4-MMP in Cancer Progression

Emma Muñoz-Sáez1, Natalia Moracho2, Ana I R Learte3

  • 1Department of Health Science, School of Biomedical Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Villaviciosa de Odón, 28670 Madrid, Spain.

International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|June 28, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Membrane-type 4 matrix metalloproteinase (MT4-MMP) drives cancer progression by affecting cell migration, invasion, and proliferation. Understanding MT4-MMP

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Oncology

Background:

  • Membrane-type 4 matrix metalloproteinase (MT4-MMP), also known as MMP-17, is a cell surface-anchored enzyme.
  • Its expression is observed in various cancer types, but its precise role in tumor development requires further elucidation.
  • MT4-MMP is anchored to the cell surface via a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) motif.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the contribution of MT4-MMP to tumorigenesis.
  • To focus on the molecular mechanisms underlying MT4-MMP's role in cancer cell migration, invasiveness, proliferation, tumor vasculature, microenvironment, and metastasis.
  • To highlight substrates and signaling pathways activated by MT4-MMP in malignancy.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review synthesizing existing research on MT4-MMP.
  • Analysis of molecular mechanisms and signaling cascades.
  • Comparison with MT4-MMP's role in embryonic development.

Main Results:

  • MT4-MMP influences tumor cell migration, invasiveness, and proliferation.
  • The enzyme impacts the tumor vasculature and microenvironment.
  • MT4-MMP plays a role in cancer metastasis.

Conclusions:

  • MT4-MMP is implicated in multiple facets of tumor development and progression.
  • It serves as a potential biomarker for monitoring cancer progression.
  • MT4-MMP represents a promising target for novel cancer therapeutics.
Keywords:
MMP-17MT4-MMPbiomarkercancer celldevelopmentmalignancytherapytumorvasculature

More Related Videos

Live Imaging of Microtubule Dynamics in Glioblastoma Cells Invading the Zebrafish Brain09:29

Live Imaging of Microtubule Dynamics in Glioblastoma Cells Invading the Zebrafish Brain

Published on: July 29, 2022

2.7K
Intracellular Phosphoflow Cytometry of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patient-Derived Xenotransplants07:39

Intracellular Phosphoflow Cytometry of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patient-Derived Xenotransplants

Published on: June 6, 2025

182

Related Concept Videos

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
3.8K
Tumor Progression02:07

Tumor Progression

Tumor progression is a phenomenon where the pre-formed tumor acquires successive mutations to become clinically more aggressive and malignant. In the 1950s, Foulds first described the stepwise progression of cancer cells through successive stages.
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
6.4K
Metastasis02:30

Metastasis

Metastasis is the spread of cancer cells from the original site to distant locations in the body. Cancer cells can spread via blood vessels (hematogenous) as well as lymph vessels in the body.
Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition
The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition or EMT is a developmental process commonly observed in wound healing, embryogenesis, and cancer metastasis. EMT is induced by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) or receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) ligands, which further...
5.6K
Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells02:53

Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells

Cancer cells accumulate genetic changes at an abnormally rapid rate due to the defects in the DNA repair mechanisms. From an evolutionary perspective, such genetic instability is advantageous for cancer development. Mutant cell lines accumulate a series of beneficial mutations that contribute to their progression into cancer.
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
5.8K
The Tumor Microenvironment02:17

The Tumor Microenvironment

Every normal cell or tissue is embedded in a complex local environment called stroma, consisting of different cell types, a basal membrane, and blood vessels. As normal cells mutate and develop into cancer cells, their local environment also changes to allow cancer progression. The tumor microenvironment (TME) consists of a complex cellular matrix of stromal cells and the developing tumor. The cross-talk between cancer cells and surrounding stromal cells is critical to disrupt normal tissue...
6.7K
Role of Matrix Metalloproteases in Degradation of ECM01:23

Role of Matrix Metalloproteases in Degradation of ECM

Matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) are enzymes involved in the hydrolysis of proteins and glycoproteins of the extracellular matrix. MMPs are essential for the migration and proliferation of cells through the dense matrix network, throughout embryonic development, and throughout morphogenesis. The first MMP activity discovered was a collagenase in a tadpole's tail undergoing metamorphosis. The active collagen deposition and modifications lead to the morphogenesis of tadpoles into the adult...
2.4K