Differential expression of matrix metalloproteinases and their tissue inhibitors in human primary cultured prostatic cells and malignant prostate cell lines

BACKGROUND: The aim was to investigate the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), membrane type MMPs (MT-MMPs), and their inhibitors (TIMPs) in human primary cultured prostatic cells and malignant prostate cell lines. METHODS: Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction-based measurements of the mRNA levels of MMP-2, MMP-7, MT1-MMP, MT3-MMP, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2 in relation to the house-keeping gene glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase were performed in cancerous and non-cancerous prostatic tissue samples, in primary cell cultures of epithelial cells, in both fibroblasts, and smooth-muscle cells as stromal cells, and in the human malignant prostatic cell lines DU-145, LNCaP, and PC-3. RESULTS: MMP-2 was mainly expressed in the stromal cells and MMP-7 showed their highest values in the epithelial cells. MT1-MMP, MT3-MMP, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2 were found both in the stromal and in the epithelial cells, but there were some differences between the expressions in fibroblasts and smooth-muscle cells. Different expressions were also observed between the cells deriving from the primary cell cultures, the benign cell line BPH-1, and the malignant cell lines LNCaP, D-145, and PC-3. CONCLUSIONS: These exemplary results concerning different expressions of MMPs and TIMPs in cells from prostatic tissue suggest that a better insight into changes observed in prostatic tissue needs studies on cells cultured from the tissue.