Tufts-NEMC Researchers Identify Enzyme That Activates Cancer Cell Growth And Invasion

Researchers from Tufts-New England Medical Center have identified a long-sought-after enzyme that interacts with a specific protease-activated receptor, PAR1, on breast cancer cells. The study authors identified metalloprotease-1 as the molecular scissors that activates PAR1 resulting in cancer cell invasion and tumor growth. They were able to block the spread of the breast cancer in animals using novel compounds called pepducins that act on the inside surface of the cell downstream of the enzyme and receptor. Their study appears in the February 11 edition of the journal Cell. PARs are a unique class of receptors that have long been known to play critical roles in blood clotting, inflammation and growth of blood vessels. More recently, PAR1 has been linked with the invasive and metastatic properties of many different kinds of cancers, however, it was not known how the receptor was being activated in tumors.