Involvement of DPPIV/CD26 in epithelial morphology and suppressed invasive ability in ovarian carcinoma cells.

Dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV) is a multifunctional cell surface aminopeptidase with ubiquitous expression and it has a variety of functional properties in the development of human malignancies. In the present study, we showed the possible correlation between DPPIV/CD26 expression and less migratory potential with decreased MMP-2 expression in ovarian carcinoma cells. Moreover, induction of DPPIV/CD26 resulted in reduced expressions of MMP-2 and mesenchymal markers such as vimentin and SMA, with a less invasive potential and an epithelial morphologic change. This evidence implies that DPPIV/CD26 may play a crucial role in the antimetastatic potential in ovarian carcinoma.