Inhibition of tumor invasion by genomic down-regulation of matriptase through suppression of activation of receptor-bound pro-urokinase

Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) degrades the extracellular matrix and plays critical roles in tumor invasion and metastasis. Matriptase, a membrane-bound serine protease, was shown to activate uPA in a uPA receptor-free, solution-based study. We now investigate whether matriptase affects activation of receptor-bound uPA and contributes to the invasiveness of HRA human ovarian cancer cells in vitro and tumor behavior in nude mice. Here we show the following. 1) uPA expression was effectively stimulated by TGF-beta1 in HRA cells. 2) Antisense (AS)-matriptase transfection achieved a marked inhibition of receptor-bound pro-uPA activation without altering expression of uPA and uPA receptor mRNA and proteins, irrespective of whether cells were stimulated with TGF-beta1. 3) Tumor cell receptor-bound pro-uPA could be efficiently cleaved by matriptase to generate enzymatically active two-chain uPA. Thus, matriptase can substitute for plasmin in the proteolytic activation of pro-uPA to enzymatically active uPA. 4) The AS-matriptase-treated cells had a decreased ability to invade an extracellular matrix layer, as compared with control cells. 5) When the AS-matriptase-treated cells were injected intraperitoneally into nude mice, the mice developed smaller tumors. Our data identify a novel role for matriptase for activation of receptor-bound uPA.     

Pro-urokinase-type plasminogen activator is a substrate for hepsin

Hepsin, a type II transmembrane serine protease, is strongly up-regulated in prostate cancer. Hepsin overexpression in a mouse prostate cancer model resulted in tumor progression and metastasis, associated with basement membrane disorganization. We investigated whether hepsin enzymatic activity was linked to the basement membrane defects by examining its ability to initiate the plasminogen/plasmin proteolytic pathway. Because plasminogen is not processed by hepsin, we investigated the upstream activators, urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and tissue-type plasminogen activator. Enzymatic assays with a recombinant soluble form of hepsin demonstrated that hepsin did not cleave pro-tissue-type plasminogen activator but efficiently converted pro-uPA into high molecular weight uPA by cleavage at the Lys158-Ile159 (P1-P1') peptide bond. uPA generated by hepsin displayed enzymatic activity toward small synthetic and macromolecular substrates indistinguishable from uPA produced by plasmin. The catalytic efficiency of pro-uPA activation by hepsin (kcat/Km 4.8 x 10(5) m(-1) s(-1)) was similar to that of plasmin, which is considered the most potent pro-uPA activator and was about 6-fold higher than that of matriptase. Conversion of pro-uPA was also demonstrated with cell surface-expressed full-length hepsin. A stable hepsinoverexpressing LnCaP cell line converted pro-uPA into high molecular weight uPA at a rate of 6.6 +/- 1.9 nm uPA h(-1), which was about 3-fold higher than LnCaP cells expressing lower hepsin levels on their surface. In conclusion, the ability of hepsin to efficiently activate pro-uPA suggests that it may initiate plasmin-mediated proteolytic pathways at the tumor/stroma interface that lead to basement membrane disruption and tumor progression.     

Cathepsin B efficiently activates the soluble and the tumor cell receptor-bound form of the proenzyme urokinase-type plasminogen activator (Pro-uPA)

Action of purified human cathepsin B on recombinant single-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator (pro-uPA) generated enzymatically active two-chain uPA (HMW-uPA), which was indistinguishable by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blot from plasmin-generated HMW-uPA and from elastase- or thrombin-generated inactive two-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator. Preincubation of cathepsin B with E-64 (transepoxysuccinyl-L-leucylamino- (4-guanidino)butane, a potent inhibitor for cathepsin B) prior to the addition of pro-uPA prevented the activation of pro-uPA. The cleavage site within the cathepsin B-treated urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) molecule, determined by N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis, is located between Lys158 and Ile159. Pro-uPA is cleaved by cathepsin B at the same peptide bond that is cleaved by plasmin or kallikrein. Binding of cathepsin B-activated pro-uPA to the uPA receptor on U937 cells did not differ from that of enzymatically inactive pro-uPA, indicating an intact receptor-binding region within the growth factor-like domain of the cathepsin B-treated uPA molecule. Not only soluble but also tumor cell receptor-bound pro-uPA could be efficiently cleaved by cathepsin B to generate enzymatically active two-chain uPA. Thus, cathepsin B can substitute for plasmin in the proteolytic activation of pro-uPA to enzymatically active HMW-uPA. In contrast, no significant activation of pro-uPA by cathepsin D was observed. As tumor cells may produce both pro-uPA and cathepsin B, implications for the activation of tumor cell-derived pro-uPA by cellular proteases may be considered.     

Sulfated Glycosaminoglycans Enhance Tumor Cell Invasionin Vitroby Stimulating Plasminogen Activation

Metastasizing tumor cells invade host tissues by degrading extracellular matrix constituents. We report here that the highly sulfated glycosaminoglycans, heparin and heparan sulfate, as well as the sulfated polysaccharide, fucoidan, significantly enhanced tumor cell invasionin vitrointo fibrin, the basement membrane extract, Matrigel, or through a basement membrane-like extracellular matrix. The enhancement of tumor cell invasion was due to a stimulation of the proteolytic cascade of plasminogen activation since the effect required plasminogen activation and was abolished by inhibitors of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) or plasmin. Sulfated polysaccharides enhanced five reactions of tumor-cell initiated plasminogen activation in a dose-dependent manner. They amplified plasminogen activation in culture supernatants up to 70-fold by stimulating (i) pro-uPA activation by plasmin and (ii) plasminogen activation by uPA. (iii) In addition, sulfated polysaccharides partially protected plasmin from inactivation by α₂-antiplasmin. Sulfated polysaccharides also stimulated tumor-cell associated plasminogen activation, e.g., (iv) cell surface pro-uPA activation by plasmin and (v) plasminogen activation by cell surface uPA. These results suggest that sulfated glycosaminoglycans liberated by tumor-cell mediated extracellular matrix degradationin vivomight amplify pericellular plasminogen activation and locally enhance tumor cell invasion in a positive feedback manner.     

Targeting of tumor cells by cell surface urokinase plasminogen activator-dependent anthrax toxin

Urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) binds pro-urokinase plasminogen activator (pro-uPA) and thereby localizes it near plasminogen, causing the generation of active uPA and plasmin on the cell surface. uPAR and uPA are overexpressed in a variety of human tumors and tumor cell lines, and expression of uPAR and uPA is highly correlated to tumor invasion and metastasis. To exploit these characteristics in the design of tumor cell-selective cytotoxins, we constructed mutated anthrax toxin-protective antigen (PrAg) proteins in which the furin cleavage site is replaced by sequences cleaved specifically by uPA. These uPA-targeted PrAg proteins were activated selectively on the surface of uPAR-expressing tumor cells in the presence of pro-uPA and plasminogen. The activated PrAg proteins caused internalization of a recombinant cytotoxin, FP59, consisting of anthrax toxin lethal factor residues 1-254 fused to the ADP-ribosylation domain of Pseudomonas exotoxin A, thereby killing the uPAR-expressing tumor cells. The activation and cytotoxicity of these uPA-targeted PrAg proteins were strictly dependent on the integrity of the tumor cell surface-associated plasminogen activation system. We also constructed a mutated PrAg protein that selectively killed tissue plasminogen activator-expressing cells. These mutated PrAg proteins may be useful as new therapeutic agents for cancer treatment.     

Effective activation of the proenzyme form of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (pro-uPA) by the cysteine protease cathepsin L.

Increased levels of both the cysteine protease, cathepsin L, and the serine protease, uPA (urokinase-type plasminogen activator), are present in solid tumors and are correlated with malignancy. uPA is released by tumor cells as an inactive single-chain proenzyme (pro-uPA) which has to be activated by proteolytic cleavage. We analyzed in detail the action of the cysteine protease, cathepsin L, on recombinant human pro-uPA. Enzymatic assays, SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis revealed that cathepsin L is a potent activator of pro-uPA. As determined by N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis, activation of pro-uPA by cathepsin L is achieved by cleavage of the Lys158-Ile159 peptide bond, a common activation site of serine proteases such as plasmin and kallikrein. Similar to cathepsin B (Kobayashi et al., J. Biol. Chem. (1991) 266, 5147-5152) cleavage of pro-uPA by cathepsin L was most effective at acidic pH (molar ratio of cathepsin L to pro-uPA of 1:2,000). Nevertheless, even at pH 7.0, pro-uPA was activated by cathepsin L, although a 10-fold higher concentration of cathepsin L was required. As tumor cells may produce both pro-uPA and cathepsin L, implications for the activation of tumor cell-derived pro-uPA by cathepsin L may be considered. Different pathways of activation of pro-uPA in tumor tissues may coexist: (i) autocatalytic intrinsic activation of pro-uPA; (ii) activation by serine proteases (plasmin, kallikrein, Factor XIIa); and (iii) activation by cysteine proteases (cathepsin B and L).     

Binding of single-chain prourokinase to the urokinase receptor of human U937 cells

The single-chain form of human urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) is the major form of the enzyme found in cells, tissues, and extracellular fluids. The protein, called pro-uPA, has high (Kd = 0.5 nM) affinity for the specific uPA receptor of U937 human monocyte-like cells. Its conversion to two-chain uPA by plasmin does not appreciably change the binding parameters. In addition, conversion of pro-uPA to uPA occurs with receptor-bound pro-uPA and does not lead to dissociation from the membrane. These data show that secreted pro-uPA can find its way to the specific surface receptor without previous conversion to the two-chain form and that, once bound, can be activated by plasmin.     

Cell surface complex of cathepsin B/annexin II tetramer in malignant progression

The cysteine protease cathepsin B is upregulated in a variety of tumors, particularly at the invasive edges. Cathepsin B can degrade extracellular matrix proteins, such as collagen IV and laminin, and can activate the precursor form of urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA), perhaps thereby initiating an extracellular proteolytic cascade. Recently, we demonstrated that procathepsin B interacts with the annexin II heterotetramer (AIIt) on the surface of tumor cells. AIIt had previously been shown to interact with the serine proteases: plasminogen/plasmin and tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA). The AIIt binding site for cathepsin B differs from that for either plasminogen/plasmin or tPA. AIIt also interacts with extracellular matrix proteins, e.g., collagen I and tenascin-C, forming a structural link between the tumor cell surface and the extracellular matrix. Interestingly, cathepsin B, plasminogen/plasmin, t-PA and tenascin-C have all been linked to tumor development. We speculate that colocalization through AIIt of proteases and their substrates on the tumor cell surface may facilitate: (1) activation of precursor forms of proteases and initiation of proteolytic cascades; and (2) selective degradation of extracellular matrix proteins. The recruitment of proteases to specific regions on the cell surface, regions where potential substrates are also bound, could well function as a 'proteolytic center' to enhance tumor cell detachment, invasion and motility.     

The human fibrinolytic system is a target for the staphylococcal metalloprotease aureolysin

The major opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus aureus utilizes the human fibrinolytic system for invasion and spread via plasmin(ogen) binding and non-proteolytic activation. Because S. aureus secretes several proteases recently proposed as virulence factors, we explored whether these enzymes could add to the activation of the host's fibrinolytic system. Exposure of human pro-urokinase [pro-uPA (where uPA is urokinase-type plasminogen activator)] to conditioned growth media from staphylococcal reference strains results in an EDTA-sensitive conversion of the single-chain zymogen into its two-chain active form, an activity not observed in an aureolysin-deficient strain. Using purified aureolysin, we verified the capacity of this thermolysin-like metalloprotease to activate pro-uPA, with a 2.6 x 10(3) M(-1) x s(-1) catalytic efficiency. Moreover, activation also occurs in the presence of human plasma, as well as in conditioned growth media from clinical isolates. Finally, we establish that aureolysin (i) converts plasminogen into angiostatin and mini-plasminogen, the latter retaining its capacity to be activated by uPA and to hydrolyse fibrin, (ii) degrades the plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, and (iii) abrogates the inhibitory activity of alpha(2)-antiplasmin. Altogether, we propose that, in parallel with the staphylokinase-dependent activation of plasminogen, aureolysin may contribute significantly to the activation of the fibrinolytic system by S. aureus, and thus may promote bacterial spread and invasion.     

Control of type IV collagenase activity by components of the urokinase-plasmin system: a regulatory mechanism with cell-bound reactants.

The urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and the matrix-degrading metalloproteinases MMP-2 and MMP-9 (type IV collagenases/gelatinases) have been implicated in a variety of invasive processes, including tumor invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis. MMP-2 and MMP-9 are secreted in the form of inactive zymogens that are activated extracellularly, a fundamental process for the control of their activity. The physiological mechanism(s) of gelatinase activation are still poorly understood; their comprehension may provide tools to control cell invasion. The data reported in this paper show multiple roles of the uPA-plasmin system in the control of gelatinase activity: (i) both gelatinases are associated with the cell surface; binding of uPA and plasmin(ogen) to the cell surface results in gelatinase activation without the action of other metallo- or acid proteinases; (ii) inhibition of uPA or plasminogen binding to the cell surface blocks gelatinase activation; (iii) in soluble phase plasmin degrades both gelatinases; and (iv) gelatinase activation and degradation occur in a dose- and time-dependent manner in the presence of physiological plasminogen and uPA concentrations. Thus, the uPA-plasmin system may represent a physiological mechanism for the control of gelatinase activity.     

Receptor-mediated internalization and degradation of urokinase is caused by its specific inhibitor PAI-1.

The receptor for urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) has been previously shown not to internalize its ligand, but rather to focalize its activity at the cell surface, allowing a regulated cell surface plasmin dependent proteolysis. The receptor in fact binds the proenzyme pro-uPA and allows its very efficient conversion to the active two chains form. Receptor bound active uPA can also interact with its specific type 1 inhibiror (PAI-1) which is therefore able to inhibit the cell surface plasmin formation. In this paper we show that the uPA-PAI-1 complex bound to the uPA receptor is internalized and degraded. U937 cells were incubated at 4 degrees C with labeled uPA-PAI-1 (and other ligands), the temperature then raised to 37 degrees C and the fate of the ligand followed for 3 h thereafter. The uPA-PAI-1 complex was internalized into the cells (i.e. could not be dissociated by acid treatment) and thereafter degraded (i.e. appeared in the supernatant in a non TCA-precipitable form). Other ligands (free uPA, ATF and DFP-treated uPA) were not internalized nor degraded. The degradation of the uPA-PAI-1 complex is preceded by internalization and is inhibited by chloroquine, an inhibitor of lysosomal protein degradation. These data suggest the existence of a cellular cycle of uPA. After synthesis pro-uPA is secreted, bound to the receptor and activated to two chain uPA. On the surface, uPA can activate surface bound plasminogen to produce surface bound plasmin. In the presence of PAI-1 uPA activity is inhibited and plasmin production interrupted, while the uPA-PAI-1 complex is internalized and degraded.     

Phorbol ester activation of a proteolytic cascade capable of activating latent transforming growth factor-betaL a process initiated by the exocytosis of cathepsin B

12-O-Tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) suppresses the proliferation of the human breast epithelial cell line MCF10A-Neo by initiating proteolytic processes that activate latent transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta in the serum used to supplement culture medium. Within 1 h of treatment, cultures accumulated an extracellular activity capable of cleaving a substrate for urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). This activity was inhibited by plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 or antibodies to uPA but not tPA. Pro-uPA activation was preceded by dramatic changes in lysosome trafficking and the extracellular appearance of cathepsin B and beta-hexosaminidase but not cathepsins D or L. Co-treatment of cultures with the cathepsin B inhibitors CA-074 or Z-FA-FMK suppressed the cytostatic effects of TPA and activation of pro-uPA. In the absence of TPA, exogenously added cathepsin B activated pro-uPA and suppressed MCF10A-Neo proliferation. The cytostatic effects of both TPA and cathepsin B were suppressed in cells cultured in medium depleted of plasminogen/plasmin or supplemented with neutralizing TGF-beta antibody. Pretreatment with cycloheximide did not suppress the exocytosis of cathepsin B or the activation of pro-uPA. Hence, TPA activates signaling processes that trigger the exocytosis of a subpopulation of lysosomes/endosomes containing cathepsin B. Subsequently, extracellular cathepsin B initiates a proteolytic cascade involving uPA, plasminogen, and plasmin that activates serum-derived latent TGF-beta.     

Bacterial plasminogen activators and receptors

Invasive bacterial pathogens intervene at various stages and by various mechanisms with the mammalian plasminogen/plasmin system. A vast number of pathogens express plasmin(ogen) receptors that immobilize plasmin(ogen) on the bacterial surface, an event that enhances activation of plasminogen by mammalian plasminogen activators. Bacteria also influence secretion of plasminogen activators and their inhibitors from mammalian cells. The prokaryotic plasminogen activators streptokinase and staphylokinase form a complex with plasmin(ogen) and thus enhance plasminogen activation. The Pla surface protease of Yersinia pestis resembles mammalian activators in function and converts plasminogen to plasmin by limited proteolysis. In essence, plasminogen receptors and activators turn bacteria into proteolytic organisms using a host-derived system. In Gram-negative bacteria, the filamentous surface appendages fimbriae and flagella form a major group of plasminogen receptors. In Gram-positive bacteria, surface-bound enzyme molecules as well as M-protein-related structures have been identified as plasminogen receptors, the former receptor type also occurs on mammalian cells. Plasmin is a broad-spectrum serine protease that degrades fibrin and noncollagenous proteins of extracellular matrices and activates latent procollagenases. Consequently, plasmin generated on or activated by Haemophilus influenzae, Salmonella typhimurium, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Y. pestis, and Borrelia burgdorferi has been shown to degrade mammalian extracellular matrices. In a few instances plasminogen activation has been shown to enhance bacterial metastasis in vitro through reconstituted basement membrane or epithelial cell monolayers. In vivo evidence for a role of plasminogen activation in pathogenesis is limited to Y. pestis, Borrelia, and group A streptococci. Bacterial proteases may also directly activate latent procollagenases or inactivate protease inhibitors of human plasma, and thus contribute to tissue damage and bacterial spread across tissue barriers.     

Plasminogen activation: biochemistry, physiology, and therapeutics

The mammalian serine protease zymogen, plasminogen, can be converted into the active enzyme plasmin by vertebrate plasminogen activators urokinase (uPA), tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), factor XII-dependent components, or by bacterial streptokinase. The biochemical properties of the major components of the system, plasminogen/plasmin, plasminogen activators, and inhibitors of the plasminogen activators, are reviewed. The plasmin system has been implicated in a variety of physiological and pathological processes such as fibrinolysis, tissue remodeling, cell migration, inflammation, and tumor invasion and metastasis. A defective plasminogen activator/inhibitor system also has been linked to some thromboembolic complications. Recent studies of the mechanism of fibrinolysis in human plasma suggest that tPA may be the primary initiator and that overall fibrinolytic activity is strongly regulated at the tPA level. A simple model for the initiation and regulation of plasma fibrinolysis based on these studies has been formulated. The plasminogen activators have been used for thrombolytic therapy. Three new thrombolytic agents--tPA, pro-uPA, and acylated streptokinase-plasminogen complex--have been found to possess better properties over their predecessors, urokinase and streptokinase. Further improvements of these molecules using genetic and protein engineering tactics are being pursued.     

Smad4-dependent regulation of urokinase plasminogen activator secretion and RNA stability associated with invasiveness by autocrine and paracrine transforming growth factor-beta

Metastasis is a primary cause of mortality due to cancer. Early metastatic growth involves both a remodeling of the extracellular matrix surrounding tumors and invasion of tumors across the basement membrane. Up-regulation of extracellular matrix degrading proteases such as urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) and matrix metalloproteinases has been reported to facilitate tumor cell invasion. Autocrine transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) signaling may play an important role in cancer cell invasion and metastasis; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In the present study, we report that autocrine TGF-beta supports cancer cell invasion by maintaining uPA levels through protein secretion. Interestingly, treatment of paracrine/exogenous TGF-beta at higher concentrations than autocrine TGF-beta further enhanced uPA expression and cell invasion. The enhanced uPA expression by exogenous TGF-beta is a result of increased uPA mRNA expression due to RNA stabilization. We observed that both autocrine and paracrine TGF-beta-mediated regulation of uPA levels was lost upon depletion of Smad4 protein by RNA interference. Thus, through the Smad pathway, autocrine TGF-beta maintains uPA expression through facilitated protein secretion, thereby supporting tumor cell invasiveness, whereas exogenous TGF-beta further enhances uPA expression through mRNA stabilization leading to even greater invasiveness of the cancer cells.     

Novel bi- and trifunctional inhibitors of tumor-associated proteolytic systems

Serine proteases, cysteine proteases, and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are involved in cancer cell invasion and metastasis. Recently, a recombinant bifunctional inhibitor (chCys-uPA19-31) directed against cysteine proteases and the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA)/plasmin serine protease system was generated by introducing the uPA receptor (uPAR)-binding site of uPA into chicken cystatin (chCysWT). In the present study, we designed and recombinantly produced multifunctional inhibitors also targeting MMPs. The inhibitors comprise the N-terminal inhibitory domain of human TIMP-1 (tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1) or TIMP-3, fused to chCys-uPA19-31 or chCysWT. As demonstrated by various techniques, these fusion proteins effectively interfere with all three targeted protease systems. In in vitro Matrigel invasion assays, the addition of recombinant inhibitors strongly reduced invasion of ovarian cancer cells (OV-MZ-6#8). Additionally, OV-MZ-6#8 cells were stably transfected with expression plasmids encoding the various inhibitors. Synthesis and secretion of the inhibitors was verified by a newly developed ELISA, which selectively detects the recombinant proteins. Invasive capacity of inhibitor-producing cells was significantly reduced compared to vector-transfected control cells. Thus, these novel, compact, and small-size inhibitors directed against up to three different tumor-associated proteolytic systems may represent promising agents for prevention of tumor cell migration and metastasis.     

The Receptor for Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator of a Human Keratinocyte Line (HaCaT)

It is assumed that plasmin participates in pericellular proteolysis in the epidermis. Plasmin is generated by keratinocyte-associated plasminogen activators from the proenzyme plasminogen; plasminogen activation can proceed at the keratinocyte surface. The resultant plasmin interferes with cell to matrix adhesion and does possibly contribute to keratinocyte migration during reepithelialization. Here we describe the receptor for urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA-R) in the human keratinocyte cell line HaCaT, which serves to direct plasminogen activation to the cell surface; we relate the receptor to the uPA-R previously described in human myclo-/monocytes. Binding of uPA to the receptor accelerated plasminogen activation by a factor of ≈10, compared to uPA in solution. Receptor-bound uPA was susceptible to inhibition by the plasminogen activator inhibitors 1 and 2. uPA and uPA-R antigen, as well as uPA activity, were localized to the leading front of expanding sheets of HaCaT cells. Exposure of HaCaT cells to plasminogen was followed by detachment of the cells. Detachment was prevented by an anti-catalytic anti-uPA antibody, by the plasmin-specific inhibitor aprotinin, and by the lysine analogue tranexamic acid, the latter of which prevents plasmin(ogen) binding to the cell surface. Our findings support the hypothesis that uPA-mediated plasminogen activation is characteristic of mobile rather than sessile keratinocytes. Moreover, the uPA-R seems to focalize plasminogen activation to the surface of cells at the site of keratinocyte migration.     

Receptor-mediated regulation of plasminogen activator function: plasminogen activation by two directly membrane-anchored forms of urokinase.

The generation of the broad specificity serine protease plasmin in the pericellular environment is regulated by binding of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) to its specific glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored cell-surface receptor, uPAR. This interaction potentiates the reciprocal activation of the cell-associated zymogens pro-uPA and plasminogen. To further study the role of uPAR in this mechanism, we have expressed two directly membrane-anchored chimeric forms of uPA, one anchored by a C-terminal GPI-moiety (GPI-uPA), the other with a C-terminal transmembrane peptide (TM-uPA). These were expressed in the monocyte-like cell lines U937 and THP-1, which are excellent models for kinetic and mechanistic studies of cell-surface plasminogen activation. In both cell-lines, GPI-uPA activated cell-associated plasminogen with characteristics both qualitatively and quantitatively indistinguishable from those of uPAR-bound uPA. By contrast, TM-uPA activated cell-associated plasminogen less efficiently. This was due to effects on the K, for plasminogen activation (which was increased up to five-fold) and the efficiency of pro-uPA activation (which was decreased approximately four-fold). These observations suggest that uPAR serves two essential roles in mediating efficient cell-surface plasminogen activation. In addition to confining uPA to the cell-surface, the GPI-anchor plays an important role by increasing accessibility to substrate plasminogen and, thus, enhancing catalysis. However, the data also demonstrate that, in the presence of an alternative mechanism for uPA localization, uPAR is dispensable and, therefore, unlikely to participate in any additional interactions that may be necessary for the efficiency of this proteolytic system. In these experiments zymogen pro-uPA was unexpectedly found to be constitutively activated when expressed in THP-1 cells, suggesting the presence of an alternative plasmin-independent proteolytic activation mechanism in these cells.     

High levels of cathepsin B predict poor outcome in patients with breast cancer

Cathepsin B (CB) is a thiol-stimulated protease implicated in cancer invasion and metastasis. Other proteases involved in cancer spread such as urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and cathepsin D have previously been shown to be prognostic markers in breast cancer. CB was assayed by ELISA in 193 patients with primary breast cancer. CB levels were significantly higher in both primary and metastatic breast tumors than in fibroadenomas (p = 0.0001). In the primary carcinomas, CB levels showed no significant correlation with either nodal status, tumor size or estrogen receptor (ER) status. Patients with primary breast cancers containing high levels of CB had a significantly shorter disease-free interval (p = 0.01, chi-square = 6.61) and overall survival (p = 0.014, chi-square = 6.08) than patients with low levels of the protease. However, in multivariate analysis, using nodal status, tumor size, ER status and urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA), CB was not an independent prognostic marker. In contrast, nodal status, ER status and uPA were prognostic in multivariate analysis. In conclusion, CB, like certain other proteases implicated in cancer metastasis, correlates with poor outcome in patients with breast cancer. These results thus support the evidence from model systems linking CB to cancer spread. Inhibition of CB expression or activity might therefore be exploited for anti-metastatic therapies.     

Targeting the autolysis loop of urokinase-type plasminogen activator with conformation-specific monoclonal antibodies

Tight regulation of serine proteases is essential for their physiological function, and unbalanced states of protease activity have been implicated in a variety of human diseases. One key example is the presence of uPA (urokinase-type plasminogen activator) in different human cancer types, with high levels correlating with a poor prognosis. This observation has stimulated efforts into finding new principles for intervening with uPA's activity. In the present study we characterize the so-called autolysis loop in the catalytic domain of uPA as a potential inhibitory target. This loop was found to harbour the epitopes for three conformation-specific monoclonal antibodies, two with a preference for the zymogen form pro-uPA, and one with a preference for active uPA. All three antibodies were shown to have overlapping epitopes, with three common residues being crucial for all three antibodies, demonstrating a direct link between conformational changes of the autolysis loop and the creation of a catalytically mature active site. All three antibodies are potent inhibitors of uPA activity, the two pro-uPA-specific ones by inhibiting conversion of pro-uPA to active uPA and the active uPA-specific antibody by shielding the access of plasminogen to the active site. Furthermore, using immunofluorescence, the conformation-specific antibodies mAb-112 and mAb-12E6B10 enabled us to selectively stain pro-uPA or active uPA on the surface of cultured cells. Moreover, in various independent model systems, the antibodies inhibited tumour cell invasion and dissemination, providing evidence for the feasibility of pharmaceutical intervention with serine protease activity by targeting surface loops that undergo conformational changes during zymogen activation.