Heparanase expression in primary and metastatic pancreatic cancer

Alexander Koliopanos, Helmut Friess, Jörg Kleeff, Xin Shi, Quan Liao, Iris Pecker, Israel Vlodavsky, Arthur Zimmermann, Markus W. Büchler

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

244 Scopus citations

Abstract

The human endoglycosidase heparanase (hpa) degrades heparan-sulfate proteoglycans, which constitute prominent components of basement membranes and extracellular matrix. Due to the critical function of hpa in cancer cell invasion and metastasis, we have analyzed the expression of hpa in human primary and metastatic pancreatic cancer as well as in the normal pancreas and in chronic pancreatic inflammation. By real-time quantitative PCR, there was a 7.9- and 30.2-fold increase of hpa mRNA in chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer tissue samples, respectively, in comparison with normal pancreatic tissues. There was a significant correlation between enhanced hpa mRNA expression and shorter postoperative patient survival, hpa mRNA and protein localized in the cancer cells of primary and metastatic pancreatic cancer, with a preferentially higher expression at the primary tumor site. Cultured pancreatic cancer cells transfected with a full-length hpa construct displayed enhanced invasiveness in an invasion chamber assay. These results suggest that hpa overexpression in human pancreatic cancers facilitates cancer cell invasion, thereby enhancing the metastatic potential of the tumors.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)4655-4659
Number of pages5
JournalCancer Research
Volume61
Issue number12
StatePublished - 15 Jun 2001
Externally publishedYes

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Heparanase expression in primary and metastatic pancreatic cancer'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this