Sandbox Reserved 478: Difference between revisions
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==Medical Implications== | ==Medical Implications== | ||
MMP-1 along with all the other MMPs are a family of zinc-binding endopeptidases that degrade most of the components of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Their influence within the medical community has mainly come from the human tumor cells. MMPs have been frequently found to be overexpressed in most forms of human tumors. Scientists have determined that based on their degrading activity. they are believed to be to contribute to the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of tumor cells by eliminating the surrounding ECM barrier. MMPs are required for tumor-induced angiogenesis, and so inhibition of the MMPs would be expected to stabilize malignant growth. MMP inhibitors have been developed to counteract these effects however they have been seen as ineffective against human tumors. Beyond their role in tumors MMPs have also bee seen to have a role in regulation of the ECM. MMPs promote cell interaction and migration as well as degradation by processing cell adhesion molecules such as CD44 and integrin αv chain. | |||
== References== | == References== | ||