Molecular Expression of bone marrow angiogenic factors, cell-cell adhesion molecules and matrix-metallo-proteinase plasma cellular disorders: a molecular panel to investigate disease progression

Increasing levels of angiogenesis play an important role in the pathogenesis and progression of multiple myeloma (MM). Malignant plasma cells promote a gradual increase in the degree of angiogenesis, modulation of specific cell-cell adhesion molecules and secretion of matrix-metallo-proteinases (MMPs), changing the BM composition from benign conditions, such as MGUS, to smouldering multiple myeloma (SM) and to active MM. We aimed to identify a gene expression profile, helpful to discriminate the “angiogenic potential” in BM and PB plasma cells from MGUS, SMM and active MM patients analyzed at diagnosis. We analyzed the expression of cell-cell adhesion molecules such as VE-Cadherin, E-Cadherin MCAM/MUC18/CD146 and of the MMP-2 and MMP-9. MCAM/MUC18 expression resulted mostly associated with that of the pivotal angiogenic factors VEGF and Ang2, and in MGUS the pattern was different in steady state, compared to progression towards SM. Furthermore, E-Cadherin, the main epithelial cell-cell-adhesion molecule, unexpectedly resulted overexpressed in MM.