Expression of cathepsin B and cystatin C in human breast cancer.
Cathepsin B, which was originally found to be a lysosomal cysteine protease, is also an important matrix protease. In this study, we investigated the expression of cathepsin B and cystatin C, the strongest inhibitor of cathepsin B, and measured the relative amounts of each in human breast cancer tissues. Cystatin C expression relative to cathepsin B expression was found to be decreased. This finding could be associated with the looseness of cancerous interstitial tissue, which might play a role in cancer invasion and metastasis. This report documents the first simultaneous investigation of cathepsin B and cystatin C in breast cancer tissues.
Yano
M
M
Department of Pathology, Nippon Medical School, 1-1-5 Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8602, Japan.
Hirai
K
K
Naito
Z
Z
Yokoyama
M
M
Ishiwata
T
T
Shiraki
Y
Y
Inokuchi
M
M
Asano
G
G
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002401:Cathepsin B / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D055316:Cystatin C; D015891:Cystatins / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000201:enzymology
C525030:CST3 protein, human; D055316:Cystatin C; D015891:Cystatins; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D002401:Cathepsin B