During the process of tumor progression, cancer cells can produce the requisite growth-and invasion-promoting factors and can also rely on noncancerous cells in the tumor microenvironment as an alternative, cell-extrinsic source. However, whether the cellular source influences the function of such tumor-promoting factors remains an open question. Here, we examined the roles of the cathepsin Z (CtsZ) protease, which is provided by both cancer cells and macrophages in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors in humans and mice. We found that tumor proliferation was exclusively regulated by cancer cell-intrinsic functions of CtsZ, whereas tumor invasion required contributions from both macrophages and cancer cells. Interestingly, several of the tumor-promoting functions of CtsZ were not dependent on its described catalytic activity but instead were mediated via the Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) motif in the enzyme prodomain, which regulated interactions with integrins and the extracellular matrix. Together, these results underscore the complexity of interactions within the tumor microenvironment and indicate that cellular source can indeed impact molecular function.[Keywords: cell invasion; cell migration; tumor microenvironment; protease] Supplemental material is available for this article. Received July 26, 2014; revised version accepted August 29, 2014. Tumors arise in complex tissue microenvironments in which a multitude of different noncancerous cell types can potently regulate disease initiation and progression (Hanahan and Coussens 2012;Quail and Joyce 2013). In addition, interactions with the extracellular matrix (ECM) are critical for modulating cell behavior, including enhancing cell survival and promoting invasion via ECM turnover and proteolysis (Lu et al. 2012;Sevenich and Joyce 2014). The ECM is a heterogeneous mix of proteins and polysaccharides, including different collagens, laminins, fibronectin, and heparan sulfate proteoglycans, which form an intricate network that confers tissue structure and regulates growth factor availability (Hynes and Naba 2012;Lu et al. 2012). Integrins are central in mediating interactions between cells and the surrounding ECM, and integrin engagement at the cell surface results in activation of downstream signaling nodes, including focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and Src kinase, to promote cancer cell proliferation, survival, migration, and invasion (Desgrosellier and Cheresh 2010;Huttenlocher and Horwitz 2011;Moreno-Layseca and Streuli 2014).Among the noncancerous cell types that modulate tumorigenesis, tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) have emerged as critical regulators of tumor progression (Biswas et al. 2013;Noy and Pollard 2014). This is particularly evident in tumor invasion, as TAMs provide a major source of proteases that modulate the ECM (Joyce and Pollard 2009). In determining the mechanisms by which TAMs promote different tumorigenic processes, the focus to date has been predominantly centered on identifying factors that are TAM-specific or TAM-enriched, which are not necessa...