The pathogenic remodeling of blood vessels often involves smooth muscle proliferation and migration. As in other instances of cell movement, smooth muscle cell migration into the neointima involves a regulated series of adhesion and de-adhesion events regulated by cell-surface receptors and surface-associated proteases. The matrix metalloproteinase (MMP), gelatinase A, plays a significant role in this process by enabling cells to overcome matrix barriers, and also regulates cell-matrix adhesion during migration. It does this through its interaction with its specific activator, MT1-MMP, a membrane-associated proteinase that initiates cleavage of the gelatinase A pro-peptide in a complex process involving multiple interactions with cell-surface proteins. One such interaction involves MT1-MMP itself, which bindings gelatinase A through a bridge with the MMP inhibitor, TIMP-2, a critical mediator of gelatinase A activation. TIMP-2 binds the active site of MT1-MMP and the carboxyl domain of gelatinase A, forming a triplex which positions gelatinase A appropriate for subsequent activation by another MT1-MMP molecule. The carboxyl domain of gelatinase A also binds the integrin, alphavbeta3, which also plays a role in the activation process. Finally, cell bind TIMP-2 to other, as yet unknown sites which may also be key elements of gelatinase A activation. Interestingly, fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells rapidly respond to changes in cell shape by activating and binding gelatinase A in a process independent of new protein synthesis, suggesting that the components of the activation mechanism are present on cells but preventing from interacting appropriately. In this study, the role of TIMP-2 in both the cell binding and activation of gelatinase A will be explored. First, the biochemical basis for the role of TIMP-2 in both the cell binding and activation of gelatinase A will be explored. First, the biochemical basis for TIMP-2's specificity for MT1-MMP will be deduced using chimeric TIMP molecules in which TIMP-2 sequence will be exchanged for sites within TIMP-2, a highly homologous inhibitor with virtually no specificity for MT1-MMP. Net, the non-MMP cell-surface binding sites for TIMP-2 will be characterized, and the critical amino acid sequences within TIMP-2 that confer this binding will be determined. Finally, the contribution of TIMP-2 to gelatinase A binding and activation will be modeled. Understanding this mechanism will be important in defining the biochemical events that occur during vascular remodeling in both normal and disease processes.
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