Modulation of metalloproteinase-9 in U87MG glioblastoma cells by A3 adenosine receptors

In this work, we investigated the biological functions of adenosine (ado) in metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) regulation in U87MG human glioblastoma cells The nucleoside was able to increase both MMP-9 mRNA and protein levels through A(3) receptors activation We revealed that A(3) receptor stimulation induced an increase of MMP-9 protein levels in cellular extracts of U87MG cells by phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases (ERK1/2), c-Jun N-terminal kinase/stress-activated protein kinase (pJNK/SAPK), protein kinase B (Akt/PKB) and finally activator protein 1 (AP-1) A(3) receptor activation stimulated also an increase of extracellular MMP-9 in the supernatants from U87MG glioblastoma cells Finally, the Matrigel invasion assay demonstrated that A(3) receptors, by inducing an increase in MMP-9 levels, was responsible for an increase of glioblastoma cells invasion Collectively, these results suggest that ado, through A(3) receptors activation, modulates MMP-9 protein levels and plays a role in increasing invasion of U87MG cells. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc All rights reserved.