Cranberry Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Cranberry, including details on benefits, antioxidants, utis, cystitis.

Meprin metalloprotease expression and regulation in kidney, intestine, urinary tract infections and cancer.

Bond JS, Matters GL, Banerjee S, Dusheck RE

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA. jbond@psu.edu

Meprins are unique plasma membrane and secreted metalloproteinases that are highly regulated at the transcriptional and post-translational levels. Meprin alpha and beta subunits are abundantly expressed in kidney and intestinal epithelial cells, are secreted into the urinary tract and intestinal lumen, and are found in leukocytes and cancer cells under certain conditions. Their location and proteolytic activities indicate functions at the interface of the host and the external environment, and in trafficking of macrophages and metastases of cancer cells. These proteases can be detrimental when there is tissue damage or disruption, as in acute renal injury or intestinal inflammation, and there is evidence they are involved in movement of leukocytes and cancer cells to sites of infection or in metastasis, respectively.

Published 9 June 2005 in FEBS Lett, 579(15): 3317-22.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Cranberry Research Today. All Rights Reserved.