title: Expression of stromelysin 3 in the stromal elements of human basal cell carcinoma.
abstract: In basal cell carcinoma, release of proteolytic activity is implicated in extracellular matrix degradation and tumor infiltration. The stromelysin metalloproteinase family is a major candidate for the matrix proteolytic activity in infiltrative tumors. However, in murine models of basal cell carcinoma, neither stromelysin 1 nor 2 appears to play a role in tumor infiltration. We have analyzed the expression of the newly described stromelysin 3 in human basal cell carcinoma using Northern blot analysis and in situ hybridization. In 12 of 14 cases, levels of stromelysin 3 expression were more than tenfold above those observed in normal skin. In one of five cases of squamous cell carcinoma, stromelysin 3 expression was tenfold above levels seen in normal skin. Stromelysin 3 expression was either undetectable or extremely weak in all five cases of infiltrative malignant melanoma. In basal cell carcinoma, stromelysin 3 transcripts were localized by in situ hybridization to the stromal tissue immediately adjacent to basal cell carcinoma, the tumor cells themselves being negative. Therefore, expression of stromelysin 3 in stromal cells may be expected to play a significant role in destruction of the basal membrane zone and extracellular matrix in basal cell carcinoma invasion.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, GSF-Forschungszentrum für Umwelt, Neuherberg-München, Germany.
authors.forename: S N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ruhri
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kunth
authors.forename: B U
authors.initials: BU
authors.lastname: Holecek
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goos
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Höfler
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Atkinson
mesh_terms: D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D015342:DNA Probes; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D053507:Matrix Metalloproteinase 11; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015347:RNA Probes; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D015342:DNA Probes; D015347:RNA Probes; D053507:Matrix Metalloproteinase 11; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases