title: Placental membrane-type metalloproteinases (MT-MMPs): Key players in pregnancy.
abstract: Membrane-type matrix metalloproteinases (MT-MMPs) are a sub-family of zinc-dependent endopeptidases involved in the degradation of the extracellular matrix. Although MT-MMPs have been mainly characterized in tumor biology, they also play a relevant role during pregnancy. Placental MT-MMPs are required for cytotrophoblast migration and invasion of the uterine wall and in the remodeling of the spiral arteries. They are involved in the fusion of cytotrophoblasts to form the syncytiotrophoblast as well as in angiogenesis. All these processes are crucial for establishing and maintaining a successful pregnancy and, thus, MT-MMP activity has to be tightly regulated in time and space. Indeed, a de-regulation of MT-MMP expression has been linked with pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia (PE), fetal growth restriction (FGR), gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and was also found in maternal obesity. Here we review what is currently known about MT-MMPs in the placenta, with a focus on their general features, their localization and their involvement in pregnancy disorders.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Medical University of Graz , Graz , Austria.
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Majali-Martinez
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Medical University of Graz , Graz , Austria.
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Hiden
authors.affiliation: b Institute of Pathophysiology and Immunology, Medical University of Graz , Graz , Austria.
authors.forename: Nassim
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ghaffari-Tabrizi-Wizsy
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Medical University of Graz , Graz , Austria.
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Medical University of Graz , Graz , Austria.
authors.forename: Gernot
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Desoye
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Medical University of Graz , Graz , Austria.|c Institute of Pathology, Medical University of Graz , Graz , Austria.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dieber-Rotheneder
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053504:Matrix Metalloproteinases, Membrane-Associated / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D010920:Placenta / Q000201:enzymology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000201:enzymology; D011264:Pregnancy Trimesters / Q000378:metabolism; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D053504:Matrix Metalloproteinases, Membrane-Associated
keywords: extracellular matrix; fetal growth restriction, MT-MMP; preeclampsia; trophoblast