Title: LOCALIZATION AND EXPRESSION OF MATRIX METALLOPROTEINASE-7 IN HUMAN PROSTATE
Abstract: Matrix metalloproteinases-7 (MMP-7), one of an extracellular matrixdegrading metalloproteinase, play an important role tumor invasion and metastasis. We investigated localization, biochemical characterization and mRNA expression of MMP-7 in prostate tissues.Immunohistochemical method, SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and northern blot analysis were performed using tissues of prostatic cancer, BPH and normal prostate.A latent proenzyme with Mr28,000 of MMP-7 was detected in the ductal epithelial cells of BPH and in the cytoplasm of cancer cell of the prostate. The ratio of mRNA expression in MMP-7/beta-actin was significantly higher in the tissue of the invasive prostatic cancer than those of normal prostate and BPH in northern blot analysis.These results suggest that MMP-7 may participate in the function of exocrine gland of normal prostate by preventing glandular obstruction and may play a role in invasion and metastasis of prostatic cancer.