Cleavage of E-Cadherin by Matrix Metalloproteinase-7 Promotes Cellular Proliferation in Nontransformed Cell Lines via Activation of RhoA
Figure 1
MMP-7 expression disrupts adherens junctions. (a) Representative photomicrograph () of -catenin immunofluorescent staining in MDCK cells in the absence or presence of exogenous MMP-7 (100 ng/mL). Arrows indicate junctional -catenin. (b) Immunoblot analysis of MMP-7 (27 kDa) expression (upper panel) in empty vector control (L2 and L4) and MMP-7 (M14 and M37) transduced C57MG cell lines. Zymography (lower panel) was used to examine the expression of MMP-2 (72 kDa) and MMP-9 (92 kDa). (c) Representative photomicrographs () of E-cadherin (green) and -catenin (red) immunofluorescent staining (arrows) in the vector control (L2/L4) and MMP-7 (M14/37) expressing cells. Arrows indicate junctional E-cadherin and -catenin. (d) The impact of MMP-7 expression on cell migration through 8 m pore membranes (arrow heads) towards 10% serum-containing media was determined. , as determined by ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc test.
