Both qRT-PCR and western blotting showed that MMP-15 and MMP-19 appeared to be upregulated during colorectal tumorigenesis, with different expression patterns: MMP-15 expression level increases from normal mucosa to microadenomas, with a reduced level in cancer with respect to microadenomas; the semiquantitative immunofluorescence analysis showed a stromal localization of this protein in the early phases of neoplastic transformation.
MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-9, MMP-11, MMP-13, MMP-14, MMP-16, and MMP-19 are enhancers of cancer cell invasiveness and other traits of cancer progression, in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.
MMP-19 has been found to be associated with ovulation and angiogenic processes and is deregulated in diverse pathological conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and cancer.
MMP-19 (also designated RASI) is a recently discovered member of a large family of zinc-dependent proteolytic enzymes, most of which have been implicated in cancer growth and metastasis.