Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 1997 Mar-Apr;378(3-4):151-60.

Activation mechanisms of matrix metalloproteinases

H Nagase  1
Affiliations
  • PMID: 9165065
Review

Activation mechanisms of matrix metalloproteinases

H Nagase. Biol Chem. 1997 Mar-Apr.

Abstract

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), also called matrixins, function in the turnover of extracellular matrix components. These enzymes are considered to play important roles in embryo development, morphogenesis and tissue remodeling, and in diseases such as arthritis, periodontitis, glomerulonephritis, atherosclerosis, tissue ulceration, and in cancer cell invasion and metastasis. All MMPs are synthesized as preproenzymes and most of them are secreted from the cells as proenzymes. Thus, the activation of these proenzymes is one of the critical steps that leads to extracellular matrix breakdown. This review describes recent progress made to elucidate the activation mechanisms of pro-matrixins which include extracellular stepwise activation common to most proMMPs, cell surface activation of progelatinase A and procollagenase 3, and intracellular activation of prostromelysin 3 and pro-membrane-type-1 MMP.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources