Specific cleavage of the transmembrane molecule, CUB domain-containing protein-1 (CDCP1), by plasmin-like serine proteases induces outside–in signal transduction that facilitates early stages of spontaneous metastasis leading to tumor cell intravasation, namely cell escape from the primary tumor, stromal invasion and transendothelial migration. We identified active β1 integrin as a biochemical and functional partner of the membrane-retained 70-kDa CDCP1 fragment, newly generated from its full-length 135-kDa precursor though proteolytic cleavage by serine proteases. Both in cell cultures and in live animals, active β1 integrin complexed preferentially with functionally activated, phosphorylated 70-kDa CDCP1. Complexing of β1 integrin the 70-kDa with CDCP1 fragment induced intracellular phosphorylation signaling, involving focal adhesion kinase-1 (FAK) and PI3 kinase (PI3K)-dependent Akt activation. Thus, inhibition of FAK/PI3K activities by specific inhibitors as well as short-hairpin RNA downregulation of β1 integrin significantly reduced FAK/Akt phosphorylation under conditions where CDCP1 was processed by serine proteases, indicating that FAK/PI3K/Akt pathway operates downstream of cleaved CDCP1 complexed with β1 integrin. Furthermore, this complex-dependent signaling correlated positively with high levels of tumor cell intravasation and dissemination. Correspondingly, abrogation in vivo of CDCP1 cleavage either by unique cleavage-blocking monoclonal antibody 10-D7 or by inhibition of proteolytic activity of plasmin-like serine proteases with aprotinin prevented β1 integrin/CDCP1 complexing and downstream FAK/Akt signaling concomitant with significant reduction of stromal invasion and spontaneous metastasis. Therefore, β1 integrin appears to serve as a motility-regulating partner mediating cross-talk between proteolytically cleaved, membrane-retained CDCP1 and members of FAK/PI3K/Akt pathway. This CDCP1 cleavage-induced signaling cascade constitutes a unique mechanism, independent of extracellular matrix remodeling, whereby a proteolytically cleaved CDCP1 regulates in vivo locomotion and metastasis of tumor cells through β1 integrin partnering. Our findings indicate that CDCP1 cleavage, occurring at the apex of a β1 integrin/FAK/PI3K/Akt signaling cascade, may represent a therapeutic target for CDCP1-positive cancers.

Several lines of evidence have implicated matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) as a protease inducing an angiogenic switch critical for tumor progression. Among MMP-9-expressing cell types, including cancer cells and tumor-associated leukocytes, inflammatory neutrophils appear to provide an important source of MMP-9 for tumor angiogenesis. However, delivery of MMP-9 by neutrophils has not been mechanistically linked to its catalytic activity at the angiogenic site. By using a modified angiogenic model, allowing for a direct analysis of exogenously added cells and their products in collagen onplants grafted on the chorioallantoic membrane of the chicken embryo, we demonstrate that intact human neutrophils and their granule contents are highly angiogenic. Furthermore, purified neutrophil MMP-9, isolated from the released granules as a zymogen (proMMP-9), constitutes a distinctly potent proangiogenic moiety inducing angiogenesis at subnanogram levels. The angiogenic response induced by neutrophil proMMP-9 required activation of the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP)-free zymogen and the catalytic activity of the activated enzyme. That the high angiogenic potency of neutrophil proMMP-9 is associated with its unique TIMP-free status was confirmed when a generated and purified stoichiometric complex of neutrophil proMMP-9 with TIMP-1 failed to induce angiogenesis. Recombinant human proMMP-9, operationally free of TIMP-1, also induced angiogenesis at subnanomolar levels, but lost its proangiogenic potential when stoichiometrically complexed with TIMP-1. Similar proMMP-9/TIMP-1 complexes, but naturally produced by human monocytic U937 cells and HT-1080 fibrosarcoma cells, did not stimulate angiogenesis. These findings provide biochemical evidence that infiltrating neutrophils, in contrast to other cell types, deliver a potent proangiogenic moiety, i.e., the unencumbered TIMP-free MMP-9.

We have previously used a subtractive immunization (SI) approach to generate monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against proteins preferentially expressed by the highly metastatic human epidermoid carcinoma cell line, M+HEp3. Here we report the immunopurification, identification and characterization of SIMA135/CDCP1 (subtractive immunization M+HEp3 associated 135 kDa protein/CUB domain containing protein 1) using one of these mAbs designated 41-2. Protein expression levels of SIMA135/CDCP1 correlated with the metastatic ability of variant HEp3 cell lines. Protein sequence analysis predicted a cell surface location and type I orientation of SIMA135/CDCP1, which was confirmed directly by immunocytochemistry. Analysis of deglycosylated cell lysates indicated that up to 40 kDa of the apparent molecular weight of SIMA135/CDCP1 is because of N-glycosylation. Western blot analysis using a antiphosphotyrosine antibody demonstrated that SIMA135/CDCP1 from HEp3 cells is tyrosine phosphorylated. Selective inhibitor studies indicated that an Src kinase family member is involved in the tyrosine phosphorylation of the protein. In addition to high expression in M+HEp3 cells, the SIMA135/CDCP1 protein is expressed to varying levels in 13 other human tumor cell lines, manifesting only a weak correlation with the reported metastatic ability of these tumor cell lines. The protein is not detected in normal human fibroblasts and endothelial cells. Northern blot analysis indicated that SIMA135/CDCP1 mRNA has a restricted expression pattern in normal human tissues with highest levels of expression in skeletal muscle and colon. Immunohistochemical analysis indicated apical and basal plasma membrane expression of SIMA135/CDCP1 in epithelial cells in normal colon. In colon tumor, SIMA135/CDCP1 expression appeared dysregulated showing extensive cell surface as well as cytoplasmic expression. Consistent with in vitro shedding experiments on HEp3 cells, SIMA135/CDCP1 was also detected within the lumen of normal and cancerous colon crypts, suggesting that protein shedding may occur in vivo. Thus, specific immunodetection followed by proteomic analysis allows for the identification and partial characterization of a heretofore uncharacterized human cell surface antigen.

Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and plasmin have long been implicated in cancer progression. However, the precise contributions of the uPA/plasmin system to specific steps involved in cancer cell dissemination have not been fully established. Herein, we have used a highly disseminating variant of the human PC-3 prostate carcinoma cell line, PC-hi/diss, as a prototype of aggressive carcinomas to investigate the mechanisms whereby pro-uPA activation and uPA-generated plasmin functionally contribute to specific stages of metastasis. The PC-hi/diss cells secrete and activate significant amounts of pro-uPA, leading to efficient generation of plasmin in solution and at the cell surface. In a mouse orthotopic xenograft model, treatment with the specific pro-uPA activation-blocking antibody mAb-112 significantly inhibited local invasion and distant metastasis of the PC-hi/diss cells. To mechanistically examine the uPA/plasmin-mediated aspects of tumor cell dissemination, the anti-pro-uPA mAb-112 and the potent serine protease inhibitor, aprotinin, were used in parallel in a number of in vivo assays modeling various rate-limiting steps in early metastatic spread. Our findings demonstrate that, by generating plasmin, activated tumor-derived uPA facilitates early stages of PC-hi/diss dissemination, specifically the escape from the primary tumor and tumor cell intravasation. Moreover, through a series of in vitro and in vivo analyses, we suggest that PC-hi/diss-invasive escape and dissemination may be enhanced by cleavage of stromal fibronectin by uPA-generated plasmin. Together, our findings point to inhibition of pro-uPA activation at the apex of the uPA/plasmin cascade as a therapy-valid approach to control onset of tumor escape and ensuing metastatic spread.

According to established notion, one of the major angiogenesis-inducing factors, pro-matrix metalloproteinase-9 (proMMP-9), is supplied to the tumor microenvironment by tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). Accumulated evidence, however, indicates that tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) are also critically important for proMMP-9 delivery, especially at early stages of tumor development. To clarify how much angiogenic proMMP-9 is actually contributed by TAMs and TANs, we quantitatively evaluated TAMs and TANs from different tumor types, including human xenografts and syngeneic murine tumors grown in wild-type and Mmp9-knockout mice. Whereas host MMP-9 competence was required for full angiogenic potential of both normal and tumor-associated leukocytes, direct comparisons of neutrophils versus macrophages and TANs versus TAMs demonstrated that macrophages and TAMs secrete 40- to 50-fold less proMMP-9 than the same numbers of neutrophils or TANs. Correspondingly, the levels of MMP-9–mediated in vivo angiogenesis induced by neutrophils and TANs substantially exceeded those induced by macrophages and TAMs. MMP-9–delivering TANs were also required for development of metastasis-supporting intratumoral vasculature, characterized by ≥ 11-μm size lumens and partial coverage with stabilizing pericytes. Importantly, MMP-9–producing TAMs exhibit M2-skewed phenotype but do not express tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1), a novel characteristic allowing them to secrete TIMP-1–free, neutrophil-like MMP-9 zymogen unencumbered by its natural inhibitor. Together, our findings support the notion whereby TANs, capable of immediate release of their pre-stored cargo, are the major contributors of highly angiogenic MMP-9, whereas tumor-influxing precursors of macrophages require time to differentiate, polarize into M2-skewed TAMs, shut down their TIMP-1 expression, and only then, initiate relatively low-level production of TIMP-free MMP-9 zymogen.

•MMPs are involved in angiogenesis-dependent intravasation and metastasis.•Inflammatory cell MMP-9 triggers the onset of tumor neovascularization.•IL-8-responding neutrophils are the major source of angiogenesis-inducing MMP-9.•Neutrophil MMP-9 catalytically releases angiogenic factor VEGF from tumor matrix.•MMP-9/VEGF axis regulates intravasation- and metastasis-sustaining neovasculature.Metastasis is a distinct stage of cancer progression that requires the development of angiogenic blood vessels serving as conduits for tumor cell dissemination. An accumulated body of evidence indicates that metastasis-supporting neovasculature should possess certain structural characteristics allowing for the process of tumor cell intravasation, an active entry of cancer cells into the vessel interior. It appears that the development of tumor vessels with lumens of a distinctive size and support of these vessels by a discontinuous pericyte coverage constitute critical microarchitectural requirements to: (a) provide accessible points for vessel wall penetration by primary tumor cells; (b) provide enough lumen space for a tumor cell or cell aggregate upon intravasation; and (c) allow for sufficient rate of blood flow to carry away intravasated cells from the primary tumor to the next, proximal or distal site. This review will primarily focus on the functional roles of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which catalytically trigger the development of an intravasation-sustaining neovasculature at the early stages of tumor growth and are also required for the maintenance of a metastasis-supporting state of blood vessels at later stages of cancer progression.