Abstract
Remodeling of the extracellular matrix occurs during many physiological and pathological conditions. The matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of zinc-dependent proteases that are responsible for the proteolytic degradation of number of extracellular matrix (ECM) components. Regulation of MMP activity both at transcriptional and translational levels modulates the degradation of ECM components. Although most MMPs have similar regulatory mechanisms, certain MMPs have unique mechanims of activation at the cell surface. Understanding the processes that regulate the expression of MMPs is important since an imbalance between MMPs and their natural inhibitors, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinses, leads to a pathological situation such as cancer. In this review, we will briefly discuss various MMPs, their structure, regulation and function.
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