Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are known to be upregulated in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other inflammatory conditions, but while their involvement is clear, their role in many settings has yet to be determined. Studies of the involvement of MMPs in IBD since 2006 have revealed an array of immune and stromal cells which release the proteases in response to inflammatory cytokines and...

In the past decades, a lot of effort has been put in identifying the role of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in cancer. The main role of MMPs in angiogenesis, tumor growth and metastasis is degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM) and release and/or activation of growth factors through their degradative activity. The degradative activity finally results in cancer progression. MMP-inhibitors (...

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE LEUKOCYTE ADHESION AND MIGRATION THE LEUKOCYTE MIGRATION CASCADE NEUTROPHIL FUNCTION AND ADHESION DURING INFLAMMATION Granulopoiesis and subsets of neutrophil granules INTEGRINS AND THEIR LIGANDS Structure and function of leukocyte β2 integrins Activation of leukocyte β2 integrins MATRIX METALLOPROTEINASES CLASSIFICATION OF MMPs STRUCTURAL FEATURES OF MMPs REGULATION OF...

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) comprise a large group of endoproteinases that degrade all protein components of the extracellular matrix. Functionally, MMPs contribute to several different physiological as well as pathological conditions. The number of newly described MMPs has increased in recent years, although current knowledge about their expression pattern in various tissues remains incom...

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are involved in the pathogenesis of several diseases of the CNS, that share common pathophysiological processes, such as blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption, oxidative stress, remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and inflammation. In ischemic brain injury, MMPs are implicated in various stages of the disease. Early after the onset of ischemia, MMPs cont...

BACKGROUND Membrane-type matrix metalloproteinases (MT-MMPs) were initially identified as cell surface activators of MMP-2 (gelatinase A). We have reported that MT1-MMPs and MT3-MMPs are expressed by activated vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and play a role in the regulation of cell function. Overexpression of MT-MMPs results in cell rounding, decreased adherence, and increased migration. B...

BACKGROUND Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women in the world today. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of endopeptidases that can degrade extracellular matrix proteins and promote cell invasion and metastasis. MMPs are differentially expressed and their expressions are often associated with a poor prognosis for patients. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to inve...

We are interested in two aspects of a given type of metastatic breast cancer: which potentially cancer-relevant genes are expressed and which factors determine invasiveness. Using reverse transcription real-time PCR, we detected gene expression of 26 matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, including those of MMP-12, MMP-16 variant 2, MMP-19, MMP-20, MMP-21, MMP-23, M...

To date there are 26 human matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) which are classified according to their substrate specificity and structural similarities. The four major subgroups of MMPs are gelatinases, interstitial collagenases, stromelysins, and membrane-type matrix metalloproteinases (MT-MMPs). This study investigates the expression of 26 MMPs, which have been shown to play a role in cancer me...

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are extracellular proteases that can cleave extracellular matrix and alter signaling pathways. They have been implicated in many disease states, but it has been difficult to understand the contribution of individual MMPs, as there are over 20 MMPs in vertebrates. The vertebrate MMPs have overlapping substrates, they exhibit genetic redundancy and compensation, a...