Both FGFR4 and MT1-MMP were upregulated in tissue biopsies from several human cancer types including breast adenocarcinomas, where they were partially coexpressed at the tumor/stroma border and tumor invasion front.
We now report that polarized exocytosis of MT1-MMP occurs during MDA-MB-231 adenocarcinoma cell migration into collagen type I three-dimensional matrices.
The results of this study support the previous suggestions of the importance of MT1-MMP for malignant growth and indicate that increased MT1-MMP mRNA expression by tumor cells in HCCs and pancreatic adenocarcinomas may have prognostic significance.
Our results indicate that MT1-MMP expression, together with that of TIMPs, is involved most notably in normal endometrium under progesterone effect and, without being connected to cyclic hormonal levels, has an important role in the invasive growth of endometrial adenocarcinomas.