Mouse MMP-3 Antibody

Matrix metalloproteinases are a family of zinc and calcium-dependent endopeptidases with the combined ability to degrade all the components of the extracellular matrix. MMP-3 (stromelysin-1) can degrade a broad range of substrates including collagen alpha-chains, aggrecan, laminin, fibronectin, elastin, casein, alpha-1 antitrypsin, myelin basic protein, IL-1 beta, IGFBP-3, pro-MMP-1, pro-MMP-7, pro-MMP-8, pro-MMP-9 and pro-MMP-13. MMP-3 does not cleave the triple helical region of interstitial collagens, a characteristic which distinguishes the stromelysins from the collagenases. The MMP-3 substrate repertoire extends beyond extracellular matrix proteins and implicates MMP-3 in roles other than direct tissue remodeling, for instance, enzyme cascades and cytokine regulation. MMP-3 is expressed by fibroblasts, chrondrocytes, osteoblasts, endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells and macrophages. Structurally, MMP-3 may be divided into several distinct domains, a pro-domain which is cleaved upon activation, a catalytic domain containing the zinc binding site, a short hinge region, and a carboxyl terminal (hemopexin-like) domain.