MMP11 and MMP17 are potential biomarkers for uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma prognosis

BACKGROUND

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) are important proteases that degrade the extracellular matrix (ECM) and thus essentially mediate tumor vascularization, metastasis, and invasion. However, their potential roles in uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma (UCEC) are not fully understood.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The expression, prognostic value, and correlation of UCEC patients with MMP were investigated using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and other databases. Furthermore, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified and their biological functions and correlations with infiltrating immune cells were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 22 MMPs were found to be abnormally expressed in UCEC tumor tissues, and high expression of MMP11 and MMP17 were associated with a better UCEC prognosis. MMP11 and MMP17 were observed to be significantly enriched in tumor tissue ECM and were associated with pathways involving degradation, glycolytic metabolism, and PI3K-Akt signaling. Infiltration of natural killer (NK), mast, and NK CD56bright cells was enhanced in tumor tissues with high MMP11 and MMP17 expression.

CONCLUSION

MMP11 and MMP17 may affect UCEC prognosis by influencing immune cell infiltration and may be potential UCEC biomarkers.

Elevated Plasma Levels of MT4-MMP and MT6-MMP; A New Observation in Patients with Thyroid Nodules

BACKGROUND

Based on the critical role of MT4-MMP and MT6-MMP in carcinogenesis, we focused on MT4-MMP and MT6-MMP circulating levels in patients with thyroid nodules.

METHODS

Plasma samples were collected from three groups, including papillary thyroid cancer (PTC; n=30), multinodular goiter (MNG; n=30), and healthy subjects (n=22). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to obtain the concentration of MT4-MMP and MT6-MMP in the three groups.

RESULTS

Analysis of data demonstrated increased levels of MT4-MMP (PTC: 4.90±1.35, MNG: 4.89±1.37, and healthy: 3.13±1.42) and MT6-MMP (PTC: 8.29±2.50, MNG: 7.34±2.09, and healthy:5.01±2.13) in thyroid nodules by comparison with healthy subjects (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in the levels of the two MT-MMPs between PTC and MNG (P>0.05). Increased plasma levels of MT4-MMP (odds ratio=2.48; 95% CI: 1.46-4.19; P=0.001) or MT6-MMP (odds ratio=1.81; 95% CI: 1.29-2.53; P=0.001) were associated with increased risk of PTC tumorigenesis. Interestingly, a strong positive association was observed between MT4-MMP and MT6-MMP in the three groups (PTC: r=0.766**, P=0.000; MNG: r=0.856**, P=0.000; healthy r=0.947**, P=0.000). Areas under the ROC curve for MT4-MMP and MT6-MMP were 0.82 and 0.96, respectively. At the cutoff value>4.7 (ng/mL), MT4-MMP and MT6-MMP showed a sensitivity of 63.3% and 90.0%, respectively, with 100% specificity.

CONCLUSION

Our work has led us to imply that the higher levels of MT4-MMP and MT6-MMP are closely linked with both PTC and MNG tumorigenesis. They may probably promote the development of thyroid lesions; however, more research is needed to further clarify the current findings.