Biologjia Online

The ability of a cancer cell to invade surrounding tissue and to metastasize is governed by complex interactions between the tumor and its microenvironment. PAR1 is a protease-activated G protein-coupled receptor proposed to be involved in the invasive and metastatic properties of various cancers. However, the protease responsible for activating the proinvasive functions of PAR1 remains to be identified. Here Boire et al. discover that a matrix metalloprotease, MMP-1, directly cleaves and activates PAR1 resulting in cancer cell invasion and tumorigenesis. Blocking the MMP1-PAR1 pathway as described here may provide a novel therapeutic approach in the control of tumor progression and invasion.