Recombinant Chinese hamster ovary cell matrix metalloprotease-3 (MMP-3, stromelysin-1). Role of calcium in promatrix metalloprotease-3 (pro-MMP-3, prostromelysin-1) activation and thermostability of the low mass catalytic domain of MMP-3.

Recombinant human fibroblast pro-MMP-3 (prostromelysin-1) expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells and the zymogen from cultured human dermal fibroblasts have been purified by monoclonal antibody immunoaffinity chromatography, and the role of Ca2+ in proenzyme activation and thermostability of the low mass catalytic domain of MMP-3 has been investigated. In the presence of high Ca2+ (5.0 mM), the organomercurial aminophenylmercuric acetate (APMA) initiated the stepwise removal of both NH2- and COOH-terminal domains from both recombinant and dermal fibroblast proenzymes, resulting in the generation of a heterogeneous family of nonglycosylated low mass truncated active enzyme species beginning at Phe83. However, in the presence of low Ca2+ (0.1 mM), incubation of recombinant pro-MMP-3 with or without APMA did not result in formation of either the high or low mass forms of active MMP-3 but resulted in complete autolysis of both enzyme species. The concentration of Ca2+ required for optimal pro-MMP-3 activation and stability of the low mass catalytic domain was 2.0 mM. The low mass truncated enzyme species containing the catalytic domain were remarkably heat-stable (90 min at 60 degrees C) in high Ca2+ (5.0 mM) but rapidly autolyzed when heated at 60 degrees C in low Ca2+ (0.1 mM). The thermostability properties of MMP-3 appeared to be specific for Ca2+, since no other divalent metal ions tested were able to confer thermostability to the low mass catalytic domain of MMP-3. From homology to the thermostable bacterial metalloprotease, thermolysin, two putative Ca2+ binding sites were found in the catalytic domain of MMP-3 and several other members of the MMP gene family. These putative Ca2+ binding sites are postulated to play an important role in stabilizing active MMP-3 and other members of the matrix metalloprotease gene family by protecting them against autolysis.