Association of matrilysin mRNA expression with K-ras mutations and progression in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas

The matrix metalloproteinase matrilysin has been implicated in the progress ion of gastrointestinal and other cancers. The aim of this study was to exa mine matrilysin mRNA expression and determine whether it is correlated with K-ras mutations and/or progression of pancreatic carcinoma. Using the semi quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), we a nalyzed 11 pancreatic cancer cell lines and 70 pancreatic adenocarcinoma ti ssues for matrilysin mRNA expression. The results were correlated with clin icopathological characteristics and K-ras mutations, Significant amounts of matrilysin mRNA were detected in six of the eight cell lines with K-ras mu tations but not in the three cell lines with wild-type K-ras, Matrilysin mR NA was detected in 57 (81.4%) of the 70 tumor tissues and in all of the eig ht liver metastases, but not in any of the adjacent nontumorous tissues. Ma trilysin expression was significantly correlated with the size of tumor, tu mor spreading, lymph node metastasis, advanced pathologic tumor-node-metast asis stage and K-ras mutations. The relative amounts of matrilysin mRNA in tumor tissues increased with increase in tumor stage and were highest in li ver metastatic tumor tissues. Our results suggest that matrilysin, the expr ession of which is correlated with K-ras mutations, plays a key role in tum or growth and progression of pancreatic carcinoma.