The matrix metalloproteinase enzymes have been implicated in tumor invasion and metastasis by a series of correlative immunohistochemical studies. In addition, direct evidence for the role of these enzymes in this pathologic process comes from studies using specific metalloproteinase inhibitors to block tumor invasion and metastasis formation, both in vitro and in vivo. Synthetic oligonucleotide primers for four metalloproteinases (MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-9, MMP-10) and their tissue inhibitors (TIMP-1, TIMP-2) were selected, synthesized, and optimized in the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to study the qualitative profile of these enzymes and inhibitors in cultured human tumor cells and tumor tissues. These primers are specific and generate unique amplification products for each appropriate enzyme and inhibitor. Slight enhancement in the amplification of cDNA products was achieved by adding dimethylsulfoxide to the reaction mixture, but commercial enhancement reagents were ineffective. Using this RT-PCR method, cDNA amplification was successful with RNA from as few as 20 cultured tumor cells. The RT-PCR analysis was done on three invasive human colon adenocarcinomas and their paired adjacent normal mucosa. The results show MMP-1 and MMP-2 products in all three tumors, and MMP-2 detected in one of the three normal mucosa samples; TIMP-2 expression was present in two of three patients and awaits quantitative assessment of RT-PCR products.