Ellerbroek S M, Stack M S
Departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Cell & Molecular Biology, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Bioessays. 1999 Nov;21(11):940-9. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1521-1878(199911)21:11<940::AID-BIES6>3.0.CO;2-J.
Hematogenous metastasis is postulated to involve tumor cell-initiated degradation of basement membrane barriers and underlying connective tissue matrices. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) are zinc-dependent endopeptidases that have been implicated in the proteolytic events of tumor cell invasion. Research has revealed a class of membrane-anchored metalloproteinases (MT-MMPs) and has provided convincing evidence that these enzymes activate latent MMP-2 (72 kDa gelatinase A) on the cell surface. The activation of plasma membrane associated MMP is a potential mechanism for facilitation of cellular metastasis and requires consideration when addressing potential roles of MMPs in tumor progression. This review focuses on potential in vivo regulatory mechanisms of membrane-associated MMP activity in the context of tumor cell interaction with matrix macromolecules. BioEssays 1999;21:940-949.
血行转移被认为涉及肿瘤细胞引发的基底膜屏障和其下结缔组织基质的降解。基质金属蛋白酶（MMP）是锌依赖性内肽酶，与肿瘤细胞侵袭的蛋白水解事件有关。研究发现了一类膜锚定金属蛋白酶（MT-MMPs），并提供了令人信服的证据，证明这些酶在细胞表面激活潜伏的MMP-2（72 kDa明胶酶A）。质膜相关MMP的激活是促进细胞转移的潜在机制，在探讨MMPs在肿瘤进展中的潜在作用时需要加以考虑。本综述着重于在肿瘤细胞与基质大分子相互作用的背景下，膜相关MMP活性的潜在体内调节机制。《生物论文》1999年；21:940 - 949。
