Matriptase
A potential Cancer Therapy Target
Vogel Group, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Matriptase
Gives hope for cancer treatment.
Prober regulation of matriptase can rescue the oncogenic potential of matriptase.
10/10 mice that overexpressed matriptase developed dysplasia (tumors).
70% of these were malignant tumors.
- About 50% of this oncogenic effect can be completly rescued due to simultaneous HAI-1 or HAI-2 overexpression.
- The matriptase inhibitors HAI-1 and HAI-2 causes regression of already estaplished tumors.
Matriptase is a membrane anchored serine protease, expressed in all types of epithelial cells.
This protease plays a central role in oncogenesis, shown in several studies in transgenic mice, conducted by e.g. List et al., and Sales et al.
Matriptase is highly oncogenic when not properly regulated.
Evidence for this is provided by overexpression of matriptase controlled by a tissue specific constitutive promotor insuring overexpression solely in the epidermis of mice, illustrating a single-handedly and very potently Matriptase dependent induction of (ras-independent) squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) with high penetrance.
