title: Crystal structures of MMPs in complex with physiological and pharmacological inhibitors.
abstract: Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of multidomain zinc endopeptidases that function in the extracellular space or attached to the cell membrane. Their proteolytic activity is controlled by the presence of endogenous inhibitors, the tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases (TIMPs), alpha-macroglobulin and others. Disruption of the proteinase-inhibitor balance is observed in serious diseases such as arthritis, tumor growth and metastasis, rendering the MMPs attractive targets for drug intervention by pharmacological inhibitors. The determination of MMP structures is of critical importance in order to understand their substrate preferences, dimerization events, and their association with matrix components and inhibitors. Thus, MMP structures may contribute significantly to the development of specific MMP inhibitors, which should allow precise control of individual members of the MMP family without affecting all members or the closely related metalloproteinases such as ADAMs and ADAMTSs.
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institut für Biochemie, Abteilung Strukturforschung, Am Klopferspitz 18a, Martinsried-bei-munchen 82152, Germany. maskos@biochem.mpg.de
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maskos
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D020134:Catalytic Domain; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D006801:Humans; D061965:Matrix Metalloproteinase Inhibitors; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D019714:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D061965:Matrix Metalloproteinase Inhibitors; D019714:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases