Anti-Protease Inhibition of the Progression of Precursor Lesions to Malignant Mammary Cancer in a Transgenic Animal Model

摘要

In addition to fostering cancer cell invasion, matrix metalloproteinases can affect cellular signaling, and may contribute to early tumor development. Functionally normal cultured mammary epithelial cells transfected with a tetracycline (Tet)-repressible stromelysin-1 (Str1) cDNA undergo epithelial-to-mesenchymal conversion following induction of Str1 expression or treatment with recombinant enzyme. cDNA array profiling also indicates that Str1 causes coordinated changes in the expression of intermediate filament markers and regulators of cancer development.