The backbone mobility of the N-terminal domain of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2 (N-TIMP-2) was determined both for the free protein and when bound to the catalytic domain of matrix metalloproteinase-3 (N-MMP-3). Regions of the protein with internal motion were identified by comparison of the T 1 and T 2 relaxation times and 1 H-15 N nuclear Overhauser effect values for the backbone amide 15 N signals for each residue in the sequence. This analysis revealed rapid internal motion on the picosecond to nanosecond time scale for several regions of free N-TIMP-2, including the extended -hairpin between -strands A and B, which forms part of the MMP binding site. Evidence of relatively slow motion indicative of exchange between two or more local conformations on a microsecond to millisecond time scale was also found in the free protein, including two other regions of the MMP binding site (the CD and EF loops). On formation of a tight N-TIMP-2⅐N-MMP-3 complex, the rapid internal motion of the AB -hairpin was largely abolished, a change consistent with tight binding of this region to the MMP-3 catalytic domain. The extended AB -hairpin is not a feature of all members of the TIMP family; therefore, the binding of this highly mobile region to a site distant from the catalytic cleft of the MMPs suggests a key role in TIMP-2 binding specificity.Breakdown of the extracellular matrix is an important event in many normal and pathological processes, such as growth, wound repair, tumor metastasis, and arthritis (1-3). A large family of zinc-dependent proteinases, the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), 1 are thought to be primarily responsible for this matrix catabolism. The activities of the MMP family in the extracellular matrix are highly regulated by transcriptional control, zymogen activation, and inhibition by a family of specific protein inhibitors, the tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases or TIMPs (4). The TIMPs bind tightly to the active proteinases to form an inactive TIMP⅐MMP complex (5). Four mammalian TIMP proteins have now been identified (TIMP-1 to -4) (6 -9), and their high degree of sequence similarity and conservation of 12 Cys residues suggests that each consists of the same basic fold but with some variations in loop structures and glycosylation. The location of the MMP inhibitory site on the TIMP molecule has been shown to reside predominantly in the N-terminal two-thirds of the protein, defined by the first three disulfide bonds. This domain (N-TIMP) can be expressed independently to generate a fully folded, stable, and active inhibitor (10, 11).High resolution three-dimensional structures are now available for both the active N-terminal domain of TIMP-2 (12) and for the full-length inhibitor (13). Crystal structures have also been published for full-length TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 in complexes with the catalytic domains of MMP-3 (N-MMP-3) and MT1-MMP, respectively (14, 15). The structures of the TIMP⅐MMP complexes, together with NMR data on chemical shift perturbation seen for N-TIMP-2 on complex fo...