title: Type IV collagenase and immunostaining of type IV collagen in human thyroid tumors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Required stages in the processes of malignant tumor invasion and metastasis are known to include the destruction of cell stroma and vascular basement membrane. It has been suggested that type IV collagenase can degrade type IV collagen, a main component of basement membrane. In our study, type IV collagenase activity was compared with the grade of destruction of type IV collagen by thyroid tumors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Type IV collagenase activity was measured in human thyroid tissue obtained surgically from four patients with Graves' disease, four with follicular adenoma, six with papillary carcinoma, and four with follicular carcinoma. Six normal thyroid tissue specimens were also studied. The grade of destruction in the diseased regions of thyroid tumors and surrounding intact tissues were determined immunochemically by anti-type IV collagen antibody staining.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Tumors with high type IV collagenase activity exhibited extracapsular invasion, lymph node metastasis and very weak discontinuity of immunostaining for type IV collagen from the basement membrane in diseased regions. In addition, surrounding intact tissues exhibited weak immunostaining for type IV collagen. Tumors with low type IV collagenase activity exhibited neither extracapsular invasion nor lymph node metastasis, but did exhibit weak immunostaining for type IV collagen from the basement membranes in diseased regions. However, the surrounding intact tissues had preserved type IV collagen in follicular basement membranes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that staining for type IV collagen can be considered a biochemical marker for prediction of the aggressiveness of invasion and metastasis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Kinki University School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kusunoki
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nishida
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kimoto-Kinoshita
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Murata
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Satou
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tomura
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism*; D018093:Gelatinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007158:Immunologic Techniques; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D003094:Collagen; D018093:Gelatinases