title: The HtrA1 serine protease is down-regulated during human melanoma progression and represses growth of metastatic melanoma cells.
abstract: Differential gene expression of cell lines derived from a malignant melanoma or its autologous lymph node metastasis using cDNA arrays indicated down-regulation of PRSS11, a gene encoding the serine protease HtrA1, a homolog of the Escherichia coli protease HtrA, in the metastatic line. Stable PRSS11 overexpression in the metastatic cell line strongly inhibited proliferation, chemoinvasion and Nm23-H1 protein expression in vitro, as well as cell growth in vivo in nu/nu mice. A polyclonal anti-HtrA1 serum demonstrated a significantly higher expression in primary melanomas when compared to unrelated metastatic lesions in a human melanoma tissue array, and down-modulation of HtrA1 expression in autologous lymph node melanoma metastases in seven out of 11 cases examined. These results suggest that down-regulation of PRSS11 and HtrA1 expression may represent an indicator of melanoma progression.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory 'C', CRS, Regina Elena Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baldi
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Luca
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morini
authors.forename: Tullio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Battista
authors.forename: Armando
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Felsani
authors.forename: Feliciano
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Baldi
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Catricalà
authors.forename: Ada
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Amantea
authors.forename: Douglas M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Noonan
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Albini
authors.forename: Pier Giorgio
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Natali
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lombardi
authors.forename: Marco G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Paggi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D015536:Down-Regulation; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008545:Melanoma / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary; D011817:Rabbits; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D012697:Serine Endopeptidases