title: Urinary type IV collagenase: elevated levels are associated with bladder transitional cell carcinoma.
abstract: Accumulating experimental evidence has linked the overproduction of extracellular matrix-degrading metalloproteinases with tumor cell invasion. In the present study one member of the metalloproteinase family, type IV collagenase (M(r) 72,000 gelatinase), is shown to be elevated in the urine of patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. The form of the enzyme in the urine was studied by three independent methods: enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, Western immunoblotting; and gelatin zymography. Immunoblotting revealed that the enzyme was present as a series of fragments, each retaining the amino terminus of the mature proenzyme. A prominent M(r) 43,000 fragment was associated with the transitional cell carcinoma cases. Zymography demonstrated that multiple enzyme species with gelatinase activity were present in urine and that high-molecular-weight bands of substrate lysis corresponded to complexes between type IV collagenase and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 2. The total amount of type IV collagenase antigen was significantly elevated in the urine of 37 transitional cell carcinoma patients (range, 0-1081 ng/ml; mean, 318.4 +/- 147.3) compared to 19 normal controls (P < or = 0.004) and 17 inflammatory disease controls (P < or = 0.011). Immunohistochemical staining of bladder tumor biopsies verified that the transitional cell carcinoma cells were producing the M(r) 72,000 enzyme. Thus, M(r) 72,000 type IV collagenase, which is present in the urine in many forms including fragments and complexes with inhibitors, may be a useful marker for bladder cancer diagnosis or prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pathology, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
authors.forename: I M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Margulies
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Höyhtyä
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Stracke
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Liotta
authors.forename: W G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Stetler-Stevenson
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002295:Carcinoma, Transitional Cell / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000648:ultrastructure / Q000652:urine; D017364:Collagenases / Q000145:classification / Q000652:urine*; D003556:Cystitis / Q000201:enzymology / Q000652:urine; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000201:enzymology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006417:Hematuria / Q000201:enzymology / Q000652:urine; D006801:Humans; D007021:Hypospadias / Q000201:enzymology / Q000652:urine; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007669:Kidney Calculi / Q000201:enzymology / Q000652:urine; D008297:Male; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9; D061965:Matrix Metalloproteinase Inhibitors; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010212:Papilloma / Q000201:enzymology / Q000652:urine; D013088:Spermatocele / Q000201:enzymology / Q000652:urine; D014526:Urethritis / Q000201:enzymology / Q000652:urine; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000648:ultrastructure / Q000652:urine
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061965:Matrix Metalloproteinase Inhibitors; D017364:Collagenases; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9