Osteoactivin modulates matrix metalloproteases in head and neck cancer

What is it about?

Cancer-related death is related the cancer cells' abilities to invade surrounding tissues and spread to distant organs. Cancer cells invade surrounding tissues, including blood vessels through which they spread to distant organs, by breaking down components of the tissue scaffolds that surround cells. Degradation of this scaffolding is accomplished in part through secretion and activation of proteins that degrade the scaffolding, called matrix metalloproteases. In this study, we demonstrate that head and neck cancer cells use over-expression of a protein called osteoactivin to increase secretion and activation of matrix metalloproteases. In one cell line, osteoactivin also increased expression of tissue plasminogen activator, a protein that increases the activity of matrix metalloproteases.

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Why is it important?

This work expands the knowledge of mechanisms which head and neck cancers use to spread. It also provides increasing evidence that osteoactivin may be a target for treatment in cancer, as it is known to be over-expressed in other malignancies.

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