Epithin (PRSS14/matriptase/ST14), a type II membrane protein, is involved in progression of epithelial cancers and metastasis as well as in the normal epidermal barrier function. When activated, it translocates into the cell-cell contacts and sheds into media. In order to understand the specific mechanism during tumor progression, we tested the angiogenic potential of secreted form of epithin. Epithin produced from the cancer cells shed more in hypoxia and induced motility of endothelial cells. Epithin enhanced the migration and invasion of mouse and bovine endothelial cells without cell proliferation. Furthermore, soluble epithin induced endothelial differentiation in the assay of the human endothelial microvessel-like tube formation and in that of the chicken chorioallantoic membrane. The knock-down of epithin in the 427 thymoma cell line abolished the protease activity of secreted epithin fraction, reduced the invasion of endothelial cells through matrigel, and tube formation activity. Only specific antibodies abolished the migration of endothelial cell and the vessel morphogenesis, suggesting that epithin specifically functions in these systems. Therefore, we propose that the secreted epithin in the hypoxic cancer microenvironment plays a role as a proangiogenic factor, and can be modulated with specific antibodies.

Keywords: angiogenesis, epithin, hypoxia, matriptase, PRSS14