title: Extracellular matrix remodelling: the role of matrix metalloproteinases.
abstract: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a growing family of metalloendopeptidases that cleave the protein components of the extracellular matrix and thereby play a central role in tissue remodelling. For many years following their discovery, MMPs were believed to function primarily as regulators of ECM composition and to facilitate cell migration simply by removing barriers such as collagen. It is becoming increasingly clear, however, that MMPs are implicated in the functional regulation of a host of non-ECM molecules that include growth factors and their receptors, cytokines and chemokines, adhesion receptors and cell surface proteoglycans, and a variety of enzymes. MMPs therefore play an important role in the control of cellular interactions with and response to their environment in conditions that promote tissue turnover, be they physiological, such as normal development, or pathological, such as inflammation and cancer. This review summarizes some of the recent discoveries that have shed new light on the role of MMPs in physiology and disease.
authors.affiliation: Experimental Pathology Division, Institut Universitaire de Pathologie, Université de Lausanne, 25 Rue du Bagnon, CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Stamenkovic
mesh_terms: D001846:Bone Development / Q000502:physiology; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology*; D006133:Growth Substances / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D061965:Matrix Metalloproteinase Inhibitors; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases / Q000502:physiology*; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000201:enzymology*; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; D016207:Cytokines; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D006133:Growth Substances; D061965:Matrix Metalloproteinase Inhibitors; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases