Pro-cathepsin D can activate in vitro pro-cathepsin B secreted by ovarian cancers |
| |
Authors: | M Pagano F Capony H Rochefort |
| |
Institution: | Laboratoire de Biochimie, U.E.R. Broussais-H?tel-Dieu, Paris. |
| |
Abstract: | A precursor form of cathepsin B (Mr 45-47 kd) was purified from ascitic fluids of patients with ovarian adenocarcinomas. Following pepsin activation, this precursor produced a 33 kd cathepsin B-like proteinase closely related to lysosomal cathepsin B. A similar activation was found using the 52 kd pro-cathepsin D secreted by the MCF7 human breast cancer cells. This activation was a time, dose and pH dependent process. These results suggest that the 52 kd pro-cathepsin D may be involved in the early steps of the "metastatic cascade", activating pro-cathepsin B in an acidic environment. |
| |
Keywords: | |
|
|