Multifunctional intracellular matrix metalloproteinases: implications in disease

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are zinc-dependent endopeptidases that were first discovered as proteases, which target and cleave extracellular proteins. During the past 20 years, however, intracellular roles of MMPs were uncovered and research on this new aspect of their biology expanded. MMP-2 is the first of this protease family to be reported to play a crucial intracellular role where it cleaves several sarcomeric proteins inside cardiac...