Expression and regulation of tumor suppressor gene maspin in breast cancer.

Maspin (mammary serpin) is an inhibitor of serine proteases with tumor suppressor activity in breast cancer. Maspin was originally identified by subtractive hybridization in normal breast epithelial cells, but its expression decreased during tumor progression. The loss of maspin gene expression with increasing malignancy is by transcriptional regulation. Maspin is known to be involved in invasion and metastasis, interact with the p53 tumor suppressor pathway, and act as an inhibitor of angiogenesis. The immunohistochemical analysis and reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction of maspin in normal human breast tissue and breast carcinoma indicated a stepwise reduction of maspin expression during the progression from ductal carcinoma in situ to invasive carcinoma to lymph node metastasis. The lack of maspin expression in breast cancer seems to be associated with a short disease-free survival and supports maspin's function as an indicator for tumor aggressiveness and metastatic potential. New studies on the gene regulation of maspin provide evidence for promising potential of possible re-expression of maspin in tumor cells. The function of maspin as a tumor suppressor gene involved in tumor invasion, metastasis, and angiogenesis may not be limited to breast cancer.