title: Biological functions of maspin.
abstract: Maspin (Mammary Serine Protease Inhibitor) was first reported in 1994 as a serpin with tumor suppressive properties. Maspin was initially isolated through subtractive hybridization and differential display analysis as a 42-kDa protein that is expressed in normal mammary epithelial cells but reduced or absent in breast carcinomas (Zou et al., 1994). Further research led to maspin's characterization as a class II tumor suppressor based on its ability to inhibit cell invasion, promote apoptosis, and inhibit angiogenesis (Sheng et al., 1996; Zhang et al., 2000b; Jiang et al., 2002). Since then, efforts have been made to characterize maspin's tumor suppressive mechanisms. In particular, researchers have studied maspin localization, the regulation of maspin expression, and more recently, maspin protein interactions. By elucidating these mechanisms, researchers are beginning to understand the complex, pleiotropic nature of maspin and the pathways through which maspin exerts its tumor suppressive properties. These new findings not only further enhance our understanding of cancer biology but also provide an avenue to develop maspin's potential as a diagnostic marker for cancer progression, and as a potentially powerful therapeutic agent in the fight against breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, the Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
authors.forename: Caleb M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.forename: Zhila
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Khalkhali-Ellis
authors.forename: Elisabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Seftor
authors.forename: Mary J C
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Hendrix
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D016147:Genes, Tumor Suppressor; D006801:Humans; D050835:Interferon Regulatory Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D015843:Serpins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D020798:Two-Hybrid System Techniques
chemical_list: C109803:IRF6 protein, human; D050835:Interferon Regulatory Factors; C085344:SERPIN-B5; D015843:Serpins