Rouyer N, Wolf C, Chenard M P, Rio M C, Chambon P, Bellocq J P, Basset P
Service d' Anatomie Pathologique Générale, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire-Hôpital de Hautepierre, Strasbourg, France.
Invasion Metastasis. 1994;14(1-6):269-75.
Stromelysin-3 (ST3) belongs to the family of matrix metalloproteinases, a group of proteolytic enzymes which are believed to play a role in tumor invasion and metastasis. In the present study, we report that the ST3 gene, which was initially identified in invasive breast carcinoma, is expressed in most other invasive human carcinomas, but rarely in sarcomas and other nonepithelial tumors. In carcinomas, both ST3 RNA and protein were specifically detected in fibroblastic cells immediately surrounding the cancer cells. In agreement with this observation, the carcinomas which are known to progress without inducing a prominent tumor stroma are also those which usually do not express the ST3 gene. ST3 gene expression was also observed in noninvasive carcinomas of the breast, uterus cervix and bladder, where the probability of detecting ST3 RNA and protein positively correlated with the known risk of these lesions evolving towards invasion. Taken together, these observations further support the hypothesis that ST3 may contribute to tissue-remodeling processes associated with carcinoma progression, and may represent a new prognostic factor to define populations of aggressive tumors.
基质溶解素-3（ST3）属于基质金属蛋白酶家族，这是一组蛋白水解酶，据信在肿瘤侵袭和转移中发挥作用。在本研究中，我们报告称，最初在浸润性乳腺癌中发现的ST3基因在大多数其他浸润性人类癌中表达，但在肉瘤和其他非上皮性肿瘤中很少表达。在癌组织中，ST3 RNA和蛋白在紧邻癌细胞的成纤维细胞中被特异性检测到。与这一观察结果一致，已知在不诱导显著肿瘤基质的情况下进展的癌，通常也是那些不表达ST3基因的癌。在乳腺、子宫颈和膀胱的非浸润性癌中也观察到ST3基因表达，在这些部位检测到ST3 RNA和蛋白的概率与这些病变向浸润发展的已知风险呈正相关。综上所述，这些观察结果进一步支持了以下假设：ST3可能有助于与癌进展相关的组织重塑过程，并且可能代表一种新的预后因素，用于定义侵袭性肿瘤群体。
