Enhanced activity of meprin-?, a pro-migratory and pro-angiogenic protease, in colorectal cancer

Lottaz, Daniel; Maurer, Christoph A; Noël, Agnès; Blacher, Silvia; Huguenin, Maya; Nievergelt, Alexandra; Niggli, Verena; Kern, Alexander; Müller, Stefan; Seibold, Frank; Friess, Helmut; Becker-Pauly, Christoph; Stöcker, Walter; Sterchi, Erwin E (2011). Enhanced activity of meprin-?, a pro-migratory and pro-angiogenic protease, in colorectal cancer. PLoS ONE, 6(11), e26450. Lawrence, Kans.: Public Library of Science 10.1371/journal.pone.0026450

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Meprin-α is a metalloprotease overexpressed in cancer cells, leading to the accumulation of this protease in a subset of colorectal tumors. The impact of increased meprin-α levels on tumor progression is not known. We investigated the effect of this protease on cell migration and angiogenesis in vitro and studied the expression of meprin-α mRNA, protein and proteolytic activity in primary tumors at progressive stages and in liver metastases of patients with colorectal cancer, as well as inhibitory activity towards meprin-α in sera of cancer patient as compared to healthy controls. We found that the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)-induced migratory response of meprin-transfected epithelial cells was increased compared to wild-type cells in the presence of plasminogen, and that the angiogenic response in organ-cultured rat aortic explants was enhanced in the presence of exogenous human meprin-α. In patients, meprin-α mRNA was expressed in colonic adenomas, primary tumors UICC (International Union Against Cancer) stage I, II, III and IV, as well as in liver metastases. In contrast, the corresponding protein accumulated only in primary tumors and liver metastases, but not in adenomas. However, liver metastases lacked meprin-α activity despite increased expression of the corresponding protein, which correlated with inefficient zymogen activation. Sera from cancer patients exhibited reduced meprin-α inhibition compared to healthy controls. In conclusion, meprin-α activity is regulated differently in primary tumors and metastases, leading to high proteolytic activity in primary tumors and low activity in liver metastases. By virtue of its pro-migratory and pro-angiogenic activity, meprin-α may promote tumor progression in colorectal cancer.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

04 Faculty of Medicine > Department of Dermatology, Urology, Rheumatology, Nephrology, Osteoporosis (DURN) > Clinic of Rheumatology and Immunology
04 Faculty of Medicine > Service Sector > Institute of Pathology
04 Faculty of Medicine > Department of Gastro-intestinal, Liver and Lung Disorders (DMLL) > Clinic of Visceral Surgery and Medicine > Gastroenterology
04 Faculty of Medicine > Pre-clinic Human Medicine > Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine

UniBE Contributor:

Lottaz, Daniel, Niggli, Verena, Seibold, Frank Werner, Sterchi, Erwin-Ernst

ISSN:

1932-6203

Publisher:

Public Library of Science

Language:

English

Submitter:

Factscience Import

Date Deposited:

04 Oct 2013 14:18

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 14:04

Publisher DOI:

10.1371/journal.pone.0026450

PubMed ID:

22096485

Web of Science ID:

000297553900004

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.5532

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/5532 (FactScience: 210285)

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