Thrombospondins, metallo proteases and thrombospondin receptors messenger RNA and protein expression in different tumour sublines of the Dunning prostate cancer model.

Thrombospondin is a potent inhibitor of angiogenesis and might therefore be important in controlling tumour growth. TSP interacts with a number of proteases and receptors and in this way inhibits stimulation of angiogenesis. An earlier study showed that thrombospondin is expressed in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) but is absent in prostate cancer. The present study was therefore designed to evaluate the expression of thrombospondin 1 and 2 (TSP-1, TSP-2), TSP receptors CD36 and CD47, and matrix-metalloproteases 2 and 9 (MMP-, MMP-9) in a rat prostate cancer model. By using immunohistochemistry, Western blot, and real-time PCR the expression patterns of TSP-1, TSP-2, CD36, CD47, MMP-2, and MMP-9 were investigated in normal rat prostate tissue and five malignant Dunning sublines tissue. TSP-1 mRNA levels were decreased in all tumours compared with normal prostate. However, there was no difference in expression of TSP-2 and CD36 mRNA in these samples. MMP-2 was increased with malignancy, but no expression of MMP-9 was seen. The CD47 receptor did slightly increase with malignancy except for H3327. The results showed that thrombospondin is expressed in normal prostate but not in prostate tumours in a rat model. Simultaneously, MMP-2 expression increases with malignancy.