Shapiro S D
Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Barnes Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
Matrix Biol. 1997 Mar;15(8-9):527-33. doi: 10.1016/s0945-053x(97)90027-5.
Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) comprise a family of structurally related proteinases that are believed to play a critical role in many physiological and pathological processes. Transgenic technology offers the possibility of determining whether MMPs contribute directly to these processes. For example, gain of function and loss of function models have confirmed causative roles of MMPs in the development of pulmonary emphysema and unexpectedly uncovered an MMP-dependent mechanism of inflammatory cell recruitment. Limitations of these techniques and powerful applications on the horizon are also presented as we embark on an era where controlled experiments can be performed in complex mammalian models.
基质金属蛋白酶（MMP）是一类结构相关的蛋白酶家族，据信在许多生理和病理过程中发挥关键作用。转基因技术为确定MMP是否直接参与这些过程提供了可能性。例如，功能获得和功能丧失模型已证实MMP在肺气肿发展中的致病作用，并且意外地发现了一种依赖MMP的炎症细胞募集机制。随着我们迈入一个可以在复杂哺乳动物模型中进行对照实验的时代，还介绍了这些技术的局限性以及即将出现的强大应用。
