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背景
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Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of zinc and calcium dependent endopeptidases with the combined ability to degrade all the components of the extracellular matrix. MMP-7 (matrilysin) is expressed in epithelial cells of normal and diseased tissues, and is capable of digesting a large series of proteins of the extracellular matrix including collagen IV and X, gelatin, casein, laminin, aggrecan, entactin, elastin and versican . MMP-7 is implicated in the activation of other proteinases such as plasminogen, MMP-1, MMP-2, and MMP-9. In addition to its roles in connective tissue remodeling and cancer, MMP-7 also regulates intestinal alpha ?defensin activation in innate host defense, releases tumor necrosis factor-alpha in a model of herniated disc resorption, and cleaves FasL to generate a soluble form in a model of prostate involution. Structurally, MMP-7 is the smallest of the MMPs and consists of two domains: a pro-domain that is cleaved upon activation and a catalytic domain containing the zinc-binding site.
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