The binding properties of the COOH-terminal hemopexin-like domain (C domain) of human gelatinase A (matrix metalloproteinase-2, 72-kDa gelatinase) were investigated to determine whether the C domain has binding affinity for extracellular matrix and basement membrane components. Recombinant C domain (rC domain) (Gly 417 -Cys 631 ) was expressed in Escherichia coli, and the purified protein, identified using two antipeptide antibodies, was determined by electrospray mass spectrometry to have a mass of 25,925 Da, within 0.1 Da of that predicted. As assessed by microwell substrate binding assays and by column affinity chromatography, the matrix proteins laminin, denatured type I collagen, elastin, SPARC (secreted protein that is acidic and rich in cysteine), tenascin, and Matrigel
The matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)1 constitute a family of proteolytic enzymes that together can degrade all components of the extracellular matrix and basement membranes, with each MMP having a distinct substrate preference (1, 2). MMP activity plays a major role during physiological and pathological processes, including embryogenesis, metastasis (3, 4), and inflammatory diseases (5, 6). Most soluble MMPs are secreted as proenzymes and share homologous primary and tertiary structures organized into distinct structural domains, with some differences in domain composition and number (6). These functionally and structurally defined domains include the NH 2 -terminal zymogen domain containing the conserved PRCGXPD motif involved in enzyme latency (7) and a Zn 2ϩ and Ca 2ϩ ion binding catalytic domain. As with other proteinases, the specificity of peptide bond cleavage is determined by the S and SЈ subsite defining amino acid residues (8). Equally important are discrete substrate binding domains, or smaller functional modules, located outside of the active site, which form specialized exosites (9) to target proteolytic activity in tissues and are essential for cleavage of some substrates. Immediately adjacent to the catalytic site in gelatinase A (MMP-2, 72-kDa gelatinase) and gelatinase B (MMP-9, 92-kDa gelatinase) is a fibronectin type II-like module triple repeat (10, 11), which forms a collagen binding domain (CBD) with strong affinity for elastin and denatured types I (12, 13), IV, and V collagens, and native types I, V, and X collagens (9, 13), 2 proteins degraded by the gelatinases. Following the catalytic domain is a variably long linker, which in collagenase-1 (MMP-1) may be important for triple helicase activity (14). The linker connects to the COOH-terminal domain (C domain), comprising four he-