Infiltrating neutrophils mediate the initial angiogenic switch in a mouse model of multistage carcinogenesis

Matrix metalloprotease type 9 (MMP-9) has been functionally implicated in VEGF activation, the induction and maintenance of chronic angiogenesis, and early stage tumor growth in a number of mouse models of cancer. In this article, we have identified two inflammatory cell types that are major sources of MMP-9 in the angiogenic stages of pancreatic islet carcinogenesis that unfold in RIP1-Tag2 transgenic mice. MMP-9-expressing neutrophils were predominantly found inside angiogenic islet dysplasias and tumors, whereas MMP-9-expressing macrophages were localized along the periphery of such lesions. Transient depletion of neutrophils significantly suppressed VEGF:VEGF-receptor association, a signature of MMP-9…

• UO
  University of California, San Francisco
• NC
  National Cancer Institute