Rehbock J, Buchinger P, Hermann A, Figueroa C
I. Frauenklinik der Universität, München, Germany.
J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 1995;121(1):64-8. doi: 10.1007/BF01202732.
Various proteases have been shown to be present in malignant breast tissue. Although the question of the involvement of tissue kallikrein, a serine protease, in the pathophysiology of tumours has been raised, the presence of this enzyme in human breast carcinoma has so far not been examined. In the present study, both neoplastic and normal human breast are scanned by immunocytochemistry for the presence and cellular localization of tissue kallikrein. In the healthy breast, tissue kallikrein was observed as a deposit of immunoreactive material that localized in the apical portion of duct cells. In the malignant breast tumours surveyed, the enzyme was observed only in ductal carcinomas, whereas lobular carcinomas were devoid of immunostaining. In ductal carcinomas, the immunoreactivity for tissue kallikrein appeared to be associated with gradations of malignancy, being absent in dedifferentiated tumours. The presence of tissue kallikrein in malignant breast tumours poses the question of the role of this enzyme in malignant breast tissue. The enzyme may participate within the tissue either in proteolytic processes (it has been shown to activate procollagenase) or by enhancing vascularity or mitogenicity by the generation of kinins.
多种蛋白酶已被证实在恶性乳腺组织中存在。尽管有人提出丝氨酸蛋白酶组织激肽释放酶是否参与肿瘤病理生理学这一问题，但迄今为止，尚未对该酶在人类乳腺癌中的存在情况进行研究。在本研究中，采用免疫细胞化学方法对人乳腺肿瘤组织和正常乳腺组织进行扫描，以检测组织激肽释放酶的存在及其细胞定位。在健康乳腺组织中，组织激肽释放酶表现为免疫反应性物质的沉积，定位于导管细胞的顶端部分。在所检测的恶性乳腺肿瘤中，该酶仅在导管癌中被观察到，而小叶癌则无免疫染色。在导管癌中，组织激肽释放酶的免疫反应性似乎与恶性程度分级相关，在去分化肿瘤中不存在。恶性乳腺肿瘤中组织激肽释放酶的存在引发了该酶在恶性乳腺组织中作用的问题。该酶可能在组织内参与蛋白水解过程（已证明它可激活前胶原酶），或者通过激肽的生成增强血管生成或有丝分裂活性。
