Title

Cathepsin B and tumor proteolysis: contribution of the tumor microenvironment

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2005

Publication Title

Seminars in Cancer Biology

Volume

15

Issue

2

First Page

149

Keywords

Cysteine proteases, stromal elements, Inflammatory cells, Bone, Endothelial cells

Last Page

157

Abstract

Tumor-stromal interactions induce expression of matrix metalloproteinases and serine proteases and, as shown recently, the cysteine protease cathepsin B. We speculate that such interactions upregulate the transcription factor Ets1, resulting in increased cathepsin B expression. This would be consistent with the observed concomitant upregulation of matrix metalloproteinases and serine proteases as well as with the ability of extracellular matrices and their binding partners to alter cathepsin B expression and secretion. Using a confocal assay to analyze the contribution of tumor-stromal interactions to proteolysis, we have been able to confirm enhanced degradation of extracellular matrices by all three classes of proteases.

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.semcancer.2004.08.001

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