Heparanase mechanisms of melanoma metastasis to the brain: Development and use of a brain slice model.

Heparanase (HPSE-1) is an endo-beta-D-glucuronidase that cleaves heparan sulfate (HS) chains of proteoglycans (HSPG), and its expression has been associated with increased cell growth, invasion, and angiogenesis of tumors as well as with embryogenesis and tissue development. Since metastatic cancer cells express HPSE-1, we have developed an orthotopic brain slice model to study HPSE-1 involvement in brain-metastatic melanoma. This model allows for the characterization of tumor cell invasion at both quantitative and qualitative levels.

Heparanase, TrkC and p75NTR: their functional involvement in human medulloblastoma cell invasion.

Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant childhood brain tumor. Although some previous reports have shown up to a 70% 5-year survival for some of these patients, it is at the cost of significant long-term treatment-related morbidity. The cellular mechanisms leading to metastatic disease in medulloblastoma are mainly unknown.