Platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1 or CD31) and gelatinase B are coexpressed at sites of inflammation, where an intense interaction occurs between leukocytes and endothelial cells. To investigate whether a functional link exists between PECAM-1 activation and gelatinase B production, the regulatory role of PECAM-1, IFN-gamma, IFN-beta, LPS, and PMA on the production of gelat...

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is an autoimmune subepidermal blistering disease characterized by deposition of autoantibodies at the basement membrane zone. In an experimental BP model in mice, the subepidermal blistering is mediated by antibodies directed against the hemidesmosomal protein BP180 (collagen XVII, BPAG2), and depends on complement activation and neutrophil infiltration. Gelatinase B is ...

Enterococcus faecalis is an important nosocomial pathogen causing serious invasive infections. One of the virulence factors of this pathogen, gelatinase GelE, is a protease whose gene expression is regulated by the Fsr quorum sensing system. In this study, we used a well-characterized collection of 153 clinical E. faecalis isolates to investigate the distribution of genes involved in gelatinase...

A 25-kDa protein was found to be associated with purified human neutrophil gelatinase. Polyclonal antibodies raised against gelatinase not only recognized gelatinase but also this 25-kDa protein. Specific antibodies against the 25-kDa protein were obtained by affinity purification of the gelatinase antibodies. Immunoblotting and immunoprecipitation studies demonstrated the 135-kDa form of gelat...

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), particularly gelatinases (MMP-2/-9), are involved in neurovascular impairment after stroke. Detection of gelatinase activity in vivo can provide insight into blood-brain barrier disruption, hemorrhage, and nerve cell injury or death. We applied gelatinase-activatable cell-penetrating peptides (ACPP) with a cleavable l-amino acid linker to examine gelatinase act...

Respiratory tract lesions induced by sulfur mustard (SM), a chemical warfare agent, are characterized by epithelial damage associated with inflammatory cell infiltration. To test the potential role of matrix metalloproteinase gelatinases in these lesions, we evaluated gelatinase activity, albumin content, and total cell count in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of guinea pigs 24 h after an intratra...

To evaluate the clinical usefulness of tissue and serum gelatinase activity as a prognostic marker of canine tumors, tissue samples from 60 tumors and corresponding serum samples from the same animals were collected at the time of biopsy and surgery. On the basis of histopathology and clinical aggressiveness of metastasis and recurrence (MR), the cases were divided into 6 categories: non-inflam...

Human fibroblasts and HT-1080 fibrosarcoma cells express membrane-type-1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP), the cell surface activator of gelatinase A, in separate forms of 63 kDa, 60 kDa and in some cases 43 kDa. In the present work the interrelationships between MT1-MMP processing and gelatinase A activation were analysed using HT-1080 fibrosarcoma cells as a model. It was found that MT1-MMP...

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) form a family of enzymes with major actions in the remodeling of extracellular matrix (ECM) components. Gelatinase B (MMP-9) is the most complex family member in terms of domain structure and regulation of its activity. Gelatinase B activity is under strict control at various levels: transcription of the gene by cytokines and cellular interactions; activation of...

We examined 215 Enterococcus faecalis isolates and found that neither the two-component regulatory locus fsr (E. faecalis regulator) nor gelatinase production was more common in disease-associated isolates than in isolates colonizing healthy individuals (ca. 60 to 65%). The majority of gelatinase-negative isolates, including 14 endocarditis isolates (of 80 isolates tested), contained the previo...