Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2003 Mar;60(3):463-73.
doi: 10.1007/s000180300039.

Role of plasminogen activator-plasmin system in tumor angiogenesis

J M Rakic  1 , C Maillard, M Jost, K Bajou, V Masson, L Devy, V Lambert, J M Foidart, A Noël
Affiliations
Review

Role of plasminogen activator-plasmin system in tumor angiogenesis

J M Rakic et al. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2003 Mar.

Abstract

New blood formation or angiogenesis has become a key target in therapeutic strategies aimed at inhibiting tumor growth and other diseases associated with neovascularization. Angiogenesis is associated with important extracellular remodeling involving different proteolytic systems among which the plasminogen system plays an essential role. It belongs to the large serine proteinase family and can act directly or indirectly by activating matrix metalloproteinases or by liberating growth factors and cytokines sequestered within the extracellular matrix. Migration of endothelial cells is associated with significant upregulation of proteolysis and, conversely, immunoneutralization or chemical inhibition of the system reduces angiogenesis in vitro. On the other hand, genetically altered mice developed normally without overt vascular anomalies indicating the possibility of compensation by other proteases in vivo. Nevertheless, they have in some experimental settings revealed unanticipated roles for previously characterized proteinases or their inhibitors. In this review, the complex mechanisms of action of the serine proteases in pathological angiogenesis are summarized alongside possible therapeutic applications.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

Publication types