The expression of EMMPRIN and the matrix metalloproteinase MMP-1 in the cervix uteri and corpus uteri in cervical squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract

To investigate the features of expression of extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN) and the matrix metalloproteinase MMP-1 in the cervix uteri and corpus uteri in cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC). The investigation was conducted using the surgical material obtained after hysterectomy in patients diagnosed as having CSCC. RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and enzymatic assays were used. The high expression of EMMPRIN and MMP-1 in CSCC was found not only in cervical carcinoma, but also in the stroma and epithelium of the cervix uteri and corpus uteri outside the tumor, whereas the level of MMP-1 expression in the morphologically intact tissue was significantly lower than in the tumor, while that of EMMPRIN gene expression did not differ substantially. The expression of EMMPRIN and MMP-1 in CSCC occurs in both the tumor and the morphologically intact tissue, which may suggest that the invasive potential of tumor may increase and therefore have prognostic value.