Carcinomas contain a matrix metalloproteinase-resistant isoform of type I collagen exerting selective support to invasion.

ABSTRACT: Collagen fibers affect metastasis in two opposing ways, by supporting invasive cells but also by generating a barrier to invasion. We hypothesized that these functions might be performed by different isoforms of type I collagen. Carcinomas are reported to contain alpha1(I)(3) homotrimers, a type I collagen isoform normally not present in healthy tissues, but the role of the homotrimers in cancer pathophysiology is unclear. In this study, we found that these homotrimers were resistant to all collagenolytic matrix metalloproteinases (MMP). MMPs are massively produced and used by cancer cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts for degrading stromal collagen at the leading edge of tumor invasion. The MMP-resistant homotrimers were produced by all invasive cancer cell lines tested, both in cultu

SUBMITTER: Makareeva E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2880213 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature