title: Low levels of urokinase plasminogen activator components in basal cell carcinoma of the skin.
abstract: Basal cell carcinoma of the skin (BCC) is the most common cancer worldwide. Unlike most other human malignancies, BCCs rarely metastasise. In this investigation, we show that the serine protease urokinase plasminogen activator (u-PA), which is causally involved in metastasis, is expressed at lower levels in BCCs compared to other skin cancers, such as squamous-cell carcinomas (SCCs) or malignant melanomas. Similarly, the u-PA receptor as well as the inhibitor PAI-1 were present at lower levels in BCCs relative to both SCCs and melanomas. In contrast to u-PA, tissue-plasminogen activator, which is not thought to be involved in metastasis, was present at similar levels in the different types of skin lesion investigated. We conclude that the failure of BCCs to metastasise may at least be partially related to low expression of components of the u-PA system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, St. Vincent's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maguire
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chin
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Soutar
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Duffy
mesh_terms: D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000737:chemistry / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000737:chemistry / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 / Q000032:analysis; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000032:analysis; D055293:Receptors, Urokinase Plasminogen Activator; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000032:analysis; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: C524898:PLAUR protein, human; D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D055293:Receptors, Urokinase Plasminogen Activator; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator