ETV5 as a Regulator of Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 in Human Chondrosarcoma

Abstract

<p>Chondrosarcoma is a unique type of bone cancer in that it does not respond to chemotherapy or radiation therapy, and therefore many affected patients die from metastatic disease. Metastasis has been correlated to upregulation of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) family of proteases, which can degrade a wide range of extracellular components. MMP2 is an enzyme secreted from the cell and degrades extracellular gelatin, as denatured collagen. ETV5 is a transcription factor which has shown to be overexpressed in multiple types of invasive tumours. The regulatory relationship between ETV5 and MMP2 has not been studied in chondrosarcoma. We hypothesized that ETV5 regulates MMP2 in human chondrosarcoma with the protease acting as a downstream effector. We have determined that both ETV5 and MMP2 are upregulated in the KC human chondrosarcoma cell line. Gene knockdown of ETV5 in KC cells resulted in a reduction in MMP2 mRNA expression as well as decreased protein production, and significantly decreased MMP2 gelatinase activity. When ETV5 is overexpressed, MMP2 expression is upregulated at the RNA and protein levels. Data from our bone resorption studies revealed that when a matrix metalloproteinase 2 inhibitor is added to the KC cell growth media, collagen released from bone chips decreased significantly. Upon histological examination, bone chips incubated with KC cells and the MMP2 inhibitor showed less bone resorption. Analyses of patient cell lines show similar expression profiles of ETV5 and MMP2 as the KC cell line. ETV5 knockdown (KD) in the patient cell lines also showed a decrease in MMP2 expression, similar to the KC cells, suggesting that the ETV5-MMP2 pathway has clinical importance. This data advocates that ETV5 has a significant role in regulating MMP2 expression and activity, and bone resorption in human chondrosarcoma, and thus may be a targetable effector of the metastatic cascade in this cancer.</p>