Expression profiles of matrix metalloproteinases and their inhibitors in colonic inflammation related to pediatric inflammatory bowel disease.

Objective: The differential diagnosis of chronic colitis in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is challenging and a distinction between Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) is not always possible. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) cleave components of the extracellular matrix and their dysregulation leads to damage to the mucosa. They are involved in inflammation in IBD, as well as in eventual tissue repair.

Changes in matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMP) expression profile in Crohn's disease after immunosuppressive treatment correlate with histological score and calprotectin values.

Background: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) constitute a family of enzymes capable of degrading various extracellular matrices (ECM) and basement membrane components playing a role in ECM turnover. They activate and degrade signaling molecules, such as cytokines and chemokines. MMPs are involved in inflammation and have been implicated in tissue degradation and repair occurring in inflammatory bowel disease.

CCHCR1 is up-regulated in skin cancer and associated with EGFR expression.

Despite chronic inflammation, psoriatic lesions hardly ever progress to skin cancer. Aberrant function of the CCHCR1 gene (Coiled-Coil alpha-Helical Rod protein 1, HCR) within the PSORS1 locus may contribute to the onset of psoriasis. As CCHCR1 is expressed in certain cancers and regulates keratinocyte (KC) proliferation in a transgenic mouse model, we studied its relation to proliferation in cutaneous squamous cell cancer (SCC) cell lines by expression arrays and quantitative RT-PCR and in skin tumors by immunohistochemistry.

Clinical and laboratory characteristics of Finnish lupus erythematosus patients with cutaneous manifestations.

Our objective was to characterize clinical features, laboratory findings, concomitant autoimmune diseases, and smoking habits of lupus erythematosus subgroups in genetically homogeneous patients from two Dermatology Departments of Finnish University hospitals. One hundred and seventy eight discoid lupus erythematosus, 55 subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus, and 77 systemic lupus erythematosus patients were enrolled using patients' charts from institutional database (1995-2006) and during routine control visits. Clustering analysis was performed to reveal natural groupings.

Differential expression of stromal MMP-1, MMP-9 and TIMP-1 in basal cell carcinomas of immunosuppressed patients and controls.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have an important role in the initiation, growth, and invasion of malignant tumors. Basal cell cancer (BCC) is the most common human malignancy. The risk of BCC is 10-16 times higher among organ transplant recipients compared with the nontransplanted population.

Increased expression of matrix metalloproteinases-21 and -26 and TIMP-4 in pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is known for early aggressive local invasion, high metastatic potential, and a low 5-year survival rate. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play important roles in tumor growth and invasion. Earlier studies on pancreatic cancer have found increased expression of certain MMPs to correlate with poorer prognosis, short survival time or presence of metastases.

Matrix metalloproteinases as mediators of tissue injury in different forms of cutaneous lupus erythematosus.

Background: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) contribute to tissue destruction, regeneration, inflammation and apoptosis and several of them are upregulated by ultraviolet (UV) radiation in skin. Although some MMPs associate with organ manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), their role in cutaneous lupus erythematosus (LE) is elusive.

Objectives: Our aim was to evaluate the expression of MMPs in SLE, subacute cutaneous LE (SCLE) and discoid LE (DLE) skin lesions and their relation to apoptosis and epidermal changes.

Transformation-specific matrix metalloproteinases, MMP-7 and MMP-13, are present in epithelial cells of keratoacanthomas.

Keratoacanthomas are rapidly growing hyperproliferative skin tumors that may clinically or histologically be difficult to distinguish from well-differentiated squamous cell cancers (SCCs). UV light, trauma, and immune suppression represent their etiological factors. As matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are implicated at all stages of tumorigenesis, we investigated the expression profile of several cancer-related MMPs to find markers that would differentiate keratoacanthomas from SCCs and shed light to the pathobiology of keratoacanthoma.

MMP-21 is upregulated at early stages of melanoma progression but disappears with more aggressive phenotype.

The expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) is frequently altered during malignant transformation. We examined the profile of three recently cloned MMPs, MMP-21, MMP-26, and MMP-28, in melanomas in vivo and in culture. Immunohistochemistry for MMPs-21, -26, -28, and -13 in melanoma specimens (27 nonmetastatic, 26 with nodal micrometastases, and 10 in situ melanomas) from 63 patients was performed.

Expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-7 and MMP-13 and loss of MMP-19 and p16 are associated with malignant progression in chronic wounds.

Background: The risk of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is significantly increased in chronic leg ulcers. Very little is known about the molecular pathogenesis of these tumours, which are often undiagnosed for a long time. As matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are implicated at all stages of tumorigenesis, we investigated whether the pattern of epithelial MMP expression can predict development of SCC from pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia of chronic wounds.

Matrilysin-1 (MMP-7) and MMP-19 are expressed by Paget's cells in extramammary Paget's disease.

Background: Extramammary Paget's disease (EMPD) is a rare malignant neoplasm of apocrine gland bearing skin characterized by intraepidermal proliferation of adenocarcinoma cells. Tumor growth depends on the ability of tumor cells to migrate by proteolysis and on angiogenesis. The matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) enzymes have been implicated in both of these processes in other types of skin cancer.

Interferon alpha-inducible protein 27 (IFI27) is upregulated in psoriatic skin and certain epithelial cancers.

IFI27 is an interferon alpha-inducible protein found to be upregulated in lesional and non-lesional psoriatic skin in a gene array study. To further characterize its function, we studied by in situ hybridization whether IFI27 is expressed in psoriasis, other inflammatory skin diseases, and wound repair in vivo. We also examined its regulation by different growth factors and anti-psoriatic agents using quantitative RT-PCR (TaqMan).

Inflammation and infections as risk factors for ischemic stroke.

Background: Inflammatory processes have fundamental roles in stroke in both the etiology of ischemic cerebrovascular disease and the pathophysiology of cerebral ischemia. We summarize clinical data on infection and inflammation as risk or trigger factors for human stroke and investigate current evidence for the hypothesis of a functional interrelation between traditional risk factors, genetic predisposition, and infection/inflammation in stroke pathogenesis.

Summary Of Review: Several traditional vascular risk factors are associated with proinflammatory alterations, including leukocyte activation, and predispose cerebral vasculature to thrombogenesis on inflammatory stimulation.

Matrix metalloproteinase-19 is expressed by proliferating epithelium but disappears with neoplastic dedifferentiation.

MMP-19 (also designated RASI) is a recently discovered member of a large family of zinc-dependent proteolytic enzymes, most of which have been implicated in cancer growth and metastasis. It differs from the others by its chromosomal location and structure and is expressed by endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells in vivo. Our aim was to study the putative role of MMP-19 in skin cancer.

Metalloelastase (MMP-12) expression by tumour cells in squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva correlates with invasiveness, while that by macrophages predicts better outcome.

Human metalloelastase (MMP-12) has been implicated in elastin degradation and macrophage migration in many pathological conditions. It also generates angiostatin, thus having a potential to prevent tumour angiogenesis. It has previously been shown that transformed epithelial cells express MMP-12 in skin cancer.