HPSE and cancer: One of the plausible mechanisms explaining the association of mHsp70 with an increased cancer cell metastasis and invasion could be the involvement of chaperones in mediating the function of other molecules responsible for extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling (modifying such enzymes as matrix metalloproteinases, plasminogen activator, lysyl oxidase proteins, heparanase, and cathepsins; ref. 68).