Ya. Declerck et We. Laug, COOPERATION BETWEEN MATRIX METALLOPROTEINASES AND THE PLASMINOGEN ACTIVATOR-PLASMIN SYSTEM IN TUMOR PROGRESSION, Enzyme & protein, 49(1-3), 1996, pp. 72-84
Several classes of extracellular matrix (ECM)-degrading proteases have
been shown to play an important role in tumor invasion and metastasis
. Among them, the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and the plasminogen
activator (PA)-plasmin system have been the focus of numerous studies
. However, few of those have examined the interaction of these two cla
sses of proteases during tumor progression and their specific roles in
this complex process have remained unclear. In this article, comparat
ive information on the structure, function, and regulation of these tw
o classes of proteases is reviewed and their interaction on various le
vels is discussed. This review shows that MMPs and the PA-plasmin syst
em closely cooperate to achieve optimal degradation of the ECM during
the invasive and metastatic process.