The type IV collagenases/gelatinases matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9 play a variety of important roles in both physiological and pathological processes and are regulated by various growth factors, including transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1), in several cell types. Previous studies have suggested that cellular control of one or both collagenases can occur through direct t...

Breakdown of triple-helical interstitial collagens is essential in embryonic development, organ morphogenesis and tissue remodelling and repair. Aberrant collagenolysis may result in diseases such as arthritis, cancer, atherosclerosis, aneurysm and fibrosis. In vertebrates, it is initiated by collagenases belonging to the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) family. The three-dimensional structure of...

To investigate the relationship of collagen types I and V within corneal fibrils, and the collagenolytic mechanisms potentially involved in corneal development and remodeling, we have incubated cryostat sections of avian corneas with collagenases that specifically degrade collagen types I or V to digest selectively the collagen in situ. These preparations were then analyzed by immunofluorescenc...

Clostridium histolyticum collagenase contains a number of different active components. Previously we have shown that colH encodes a 116-kDa collagenase (ColH) and a 98-kDa gelatinase. We purified a different 116-kDa collagenase (ColG) from the culture supernatant and sequenced its gene (colG). We also identified four other gelatinases (105, 82, 78, and 67 kDa) and determined their N-terminal am...

The type IV collagenases/gelatinases matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9 play a variety of important roles in both physiological and pathological processes and are regulated by various growth factors, including transforming growth factor-b1 (TGF-b1), in several cell types. Previous studies have suggested that cellular control of one or both collagenases can occur through direct transcr...

Collagenases and other neutral proteases in tumors may facilitate tumor extension, invasion, and subsequent metastasis. We report the effects of vitamin A and dexamethasone, known inhibitors of collagenase production in vitro, on the collagen metabolism of mouse mammary adenocarcinoma and its cap sule, borne by C3H/HeJ mice. The weight of the capsule was about 4% of the tumor, yet the total col...

Objectives A knee joint contracture, a loss in passive range of motion (ROM), can be caused by prolonged immobility. In a rat knee immobilization flexion contracture model, the posterior capsule was shown to contribute to an irreversible limitation in ROM, and collagen pathways were identified as differentially expressed over the development of a contracture. Collagenases purified from Clostrid...

The family of matrix metalloproteinases is a family of closely related enzymes that play an important role in physiological and pathological processes of matrix degradation. The most distinctive characteristic of interstitial collagenases (fibroblast and neutrophil collagenases) is their ability to cleave interstitial collagens at a single peptide bond; however, the precise region of the enzyme...

Degradation of ECM, particularly interstitial collagen, promotes plaque instability, rendering atheroma prone to rupture. Previous studies implicated matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in these processes, suggesting that dysregulated MMP activity, probably due to imbalance with endogenous inhibitors, promotes complications of atherosclerosis. We report here that the serine proteinase inhibitor ti...