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Cancer cells overexpress mRNA of urokinase‐type plasminogen activator, its receptor and inhibitors in human non‐small‐cell lung cancer tissue: Analysis by Northern blotting and in situ hybridization
Author(s) -
Morita Sumihito,
Sato Atsuhiko,
Hayakawa Hiroshi,
Ihara Hayato,
Urano Tetsumei,
Takada Yumiko,
Takada Akikazu
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0215(19981029)78:3<286::aid-ijc4>3.0.co;2-r
Subject(s) - urokinase receptor , biology , metastasis , northern blot , plasminogen activator , cancer research , in situ hybridization , lung cancer , cancer , urokinase , cancer cell , microbiology and biotechnology , messenger rna , blot , cell , pathology , endocrinology , medicine , gene , biochemistry , genetics
The transcriptional localizations of urokinase‐type plasminogen activator (uPA), its receptor (uPAR) and its inhibitors (PAI‐1 and PAI‐2), which are possibly involved in cancer metastasis, have not been determined in human lung cancer. To identify their regulation in primary non‐small‐cell lung cancer, we assayed mRNA levels by Northern blot analysis in 25 cases and determined the localizations of mRNA by in situ hybridization in 10 cases. The amounts of uPA and PAI‐2 mRNA were significantly higher in cancerous relative to normal lung tissues. However, no significant difference was observed in uPAR and PAI‐1 mRNA levels. All transcripts were present in cancer cells and were predominantly located in tumor edges in several cases. In addition, PAI‐1 transcripts were more abundant in poorly and moderately differentiated carcinomas relative to well‐differentiated carcinomas and PAI‐2 transcripts were more abundant in squamous cell carcinomas than in adenocarcinomas. Thus, PAIs may be involved in modulation of malignant potency. Our results indicate that human non‐small‐cell lung cancer cells can autonomously express the mRNAs of uPA, uPAR and PAIs, which are possibly involved in metastasis. Int. J. Cancer 78:286–292, 1998.© 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.