title: Expression patterns of seprase, a membrane serine protease, in cervical carcinoma and cervical intraepithelial neoplasm.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Seprase is a membrane-bound serine proteinase with gelatinase activity, which may be involved in cancer invasion and metastasis.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined the seprase expression patterns in invasive or preinvasive squamous epithelial lesions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  No seprase immunoreactivity was found in the atypical epithelial cells and subepithelial stromal cells of CIN1 and 2 lesions. No seprase expression could be detected even in CIN3 lesions. However, in contrast to CIN1 and 2, seprase immunoreactivity was occasionally observed in the subepithelial stromal cells that were associated with moderate or severe inflammatory infiltrates. Some microinvasive carcinomas and all invasive carcinomas showed seprase immunoreactivity in the cancer cells with various degrees of seprase-positive stromal cells. Seprase may be an early marker of tumor invasion in squamous lesions of the uterine cervix.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Nihon University School of Medicine, 30-1 Oyaguchi-kamicho, Itabashi, Tokyo 173-8610, Japan.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iwasa
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Masako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mitsumata
authors.forename: Akishi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ooi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D010450:Endopeptidases; D005260:Female; D018093:Gelatinases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000201:enzymology; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D000099167:Fibroblast Activation Protein Alpha
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D010450:Endopeptidases; D018093:Gelatinases; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D000099167:Fibroblast Activation Protein Alpha