Department of Experimental Medicine and Biochemical Sciences, University of Roma Tor Vergata, Roma, Italy.
Mol Aspects Med. 2012 Apr;33(2):119-208. doi: 10.1016/j.mam.2011.10.015. Epub 2011 Nov 10.
Human matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) belong to the M10 family of the MA clan of endopeptidases. They are ubiquitarian enzymes, structurally characterized by an active site where a Zn(2+) atom, coordinated by three histidines, plays the catalytic role, assisted by a glutamic acid as a general base. Various MMPs display different domain composition, which is very important for macromolecular substrates recognition. Substrate specificity is very different among MMPs, being often associated to their cellular compartmentalization and/or cellular type where they are expressed. An extensive review of the different MMPs structural and functional features is integrated with their pathological role in several types of diseases, spanning from cancer to cardiovascular diseases and to neurodegeneration. It emerges a very complex and crucial role played by these enzymes in many physiological and pathological processes.
人类基质金属蛋白酶（MMPs）属于 M10 家族的内肽酶 MA 族。它们是普遍存在的酶，结构上的特点是在活性部位有一个 Zn(2+)原子，由三个组氨酸配位，作为辅助因子的谷氨酸发挥催化作用。各种 MMPs 显示出不同的结构域组成，这对于识别大分子底物非常重要。MMPs 的底物特异性差异很大，通常与其细胞区室化和/或表达的细胞类型有关。本文对不同 MMPs 的结构和功能特征进行了广泛的综述，并探讨了它们在多种疾病（从癌症到心血管疾病和神经退行性疾病）中的病理作用。这些酶在许多生理和病理过程中发挥着非常复杂和关键的作用。
