Tight Junction Protein Claudin-1 Enhances the Invasive Activity of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells by Promoting Cleavage of Laminin-5 γ2 Chain via Matrix Metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and Membrane-Type MMP-1

Although adherent junctions have been extensively studied, the role of tight junctions in cancer cell invasion is not sufficiently explored. We investigated whether claudin-1, a component of tight junctions, regulated invasion activity in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSC) cells. The expression of claudin-1, activity of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, and cleavage of laminin-5 γ2 chains were assessed by Western blot analysis,...