title: Expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) during early cardiac development.
abstract: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) mediate cell migration and tissue remodeling and are important in cardiac development. We examined the expression patterns of two MMP inhibitors, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-2 and TIMP-3, during critical stages of cardiac development. Both TIMP-2 and TIMP-3 mRNA were expressed in the endocardium prior to and during early cushion cell formation. TIMP-2 was continually expressed within the outflow tract (OT) and atrioventricular (AV) cushion cells at all stages examined, whereas TIMP-3 mRNA was undetectable in the AV cushion cells soon after their formation. Subsequently, TIMP-3 mRNA disappeared in cushion cells of the distal OT and this loss progressed toward the ventricle until eventually all of the OT cushion cells lacked detectable TIMP-3 transcripts. TIMP-3, but not TIMP-2, was also expressed within remodeling myocardium. Immunocytochemistry confirmed these findings. These observations suggest that TIMP-2 and TIMP-3 have important but unique roles in early cardiac development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Creighton University School of Medicine, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE 68178, USA. prbrauer@creighton.edu
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Brauer
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Cai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002642:Chick Embryo; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression; D006321:Heart / Q000196:embryology*; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D019716:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D019717:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-3 / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D019717:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-3; D019716:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-2