S. Caudroy et al., Expression of the extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN)and the matrix metalloproteinase-2 in bronchopulmonary and breast lesions, J HIST CYTO, 47(12), 1999, pp. 1575-1580
Tumor cells interact with stromal cells via soluble or cell-bound factors s
timulating the production of matrix metalloproteinases (MM Ps), a group of
enzymes largely involved in the extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling in tu
mor invasion. Among these factors, extracellular matrix metalloproteinase i
nducer (EMMPRIN) has been shown to stimulate in vitro the fibroblast produc
tion of Various MMPs such as interstitial collagenase (MMP-1), stromelysin-
l (MMP-3), and gelatinase A (MMP-2). In this study, the EMMPRIN protein was
detected by immunohistochemistry prominently in malignant proliferations o
f the breast and the lung. It was present at the surface of both tumor epit
helial and peritumor stromal cells. Because previous studies have reported
that stromal cells do not express EMMPRIN mRNAs, it is very likely that EMM
PRIN is bound to stromal cells via a specific receptor. Moreover, our obser
vations also demonstrated that the same peritumor stromal cells strongly ex
press MMP-2. Our results show that EMMPRIN is an important factor in tumor
progression by causing tumor-associated stromal cells to increase their MMP
-2 production, thus facilitating tumor invasion and neoangiogenesis.