The Cancer Degradome: Proteases and Cancer Biology

Proteases that act in the extracellular environment have been historically associated with tumorigenesis and metastasis by virtue of their ability to carry out "path-clearing" for cancer cells. In the past few years it has become clear that they also shape the pericellular signaling environment, with profound consequences for cell fate and phenotype in both normal development and disease states. The repertoire of proteases that cells and tissues coordinately regulate in order to modulate thei…