Figure 9
From: Decreased expression of ADAMTS-1 in human breast tumors stimulates migration and invasion
Schematic diagram summarizing our current understanding of the role of ADAMTS-1 in breast cancer cells. In normal cells (A), the extracellular environment is enriched for ADAMTS-1. This protease sequesters VEGF, thus preventing the effects of this growth factor on migration and invasion. In contrast, tumor cells (B) exhibit lower levels of ADAMTS-1 in the extracellular matrix. In this scenario, VEGF is no longer sequestered and becomes freely available to bind VEGFR, thereby increasing the migration and invasion of breast cancer cells.