The Matrix Metalloprotease,or MMP proteins are important enzymes which play critical roles in reproduction,embryonic development,morphogenesis and tissue remodeling.Antibody research has implicated MMP involvement in various clinical and pathological conditions,including arthritis,cardiovascular disease,OPD and cancer.
The MMPs are highly conserved proteins belonging to the metzincin superfamily, zinc endopeptidases with a motif of three zinc-binding histidines.The MMP antibody database is extensive, with around 20 proteins discovered which share common functional domains. They are numbered in order of discovery, with an alternative descriptive name usually based on the substrate (for example,MMP1,the first to be discovered, is also known as Interstitial Collagenase.)
Early antibody studies by H.Nagase and others showed MMP antigens to be proteolytic enzymes, whose function was the degradation of the ECM (extracellular matrix) via specific cleavage of proteins such as laminin, fibronectin, elastin, gelatin and the collagens. However recent studies have suggested MMPs cleave many other proteins and peptides besides those named above, and may have additional functions unconnected to proteolysis. Knockdown antibody studies in mice have shown a specific but overlapping affinity for different substrates, MMP14 being the exception.
As collagen is the major structural protein throughout the body, and the main barrier to cell migration, it was originally suggested MMPs acting on this substrate played key roles in fetal development, as well as the progression of diseases like cancer and arthritis. The discovery of new roles for the MMP enzymes has extended the area of scientific interest, which now includes research into cardiovascular, renal, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, hematopoietic, musculoskeletal and visual diseases.
We at Novus Biologicals have an extensive MMP antibody database covering the full range of Matrix Metalloproteinase enzymes, which is constantly being updated and expanded. Our MMP antibodies are of the highest purity and reliability, and supplied with detailed information and technical support.
