Ubiquitously expressed membrane type-1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP), an archetype member of the MMP family, binds tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2 (TIMP-2), activates matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), and stimulates cell migration in various cell types. In contrast with MT1-MMP, the structurally similar MT6-MMP associates with the lipid raft compartment of the plasma membrane using a GPI anchor. As a result, MT6-MMP is functionally distinct from MT1-MMP. MT6-MMP is insufficiently characterized as yet. In addition, a number of its biochemical features are both conflicting and controversial. To reassess the biochemical features of MT6-MMP, we have expressed the MT6-MMP construct tagged with a FLAG tag in breast carcinoma MCF-7 and fibrosarcoma HT1080 cells. We then used phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C to release MT6-MMP from the cell surface and characterized the solubilized MT6-MMP fractions. We now are confident that cellular MT6-MMP partially exists in its complex with TIMP-2. Both TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 are capable of inhibiting the proteolytic activity of MT6-MMP. MT6-MMP does not stimulate cell migration. MT6-MMP, however, generates a significant level of gelatinolysis of the fluorescein isothiocyanatelabeled gelatin and exhibits an intrinsic, albeit low, ability to activate MMP-2. As a result, it is exceedingly difficult to record the activation of MMP-2 by cellular MT6-MMP. Because of its lipid raft localization, cellular MT6-MMP is inefficiently internalized. MT6-MMP is predominantly localized in the cell-tocell junctions. Because MT6-MMP has been suggested to play a role in disease, including cancer and autoimmune multiple sclerosis, the identity of its physiologically relevant cleavage targets remains to be determined.
The members of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)2 family degrade a wide spectrum of extracellular matrix proteins, growth factors, and cell receptors and play important roles in multiple diseases (1-3). In malignancy, MMPs, especially membrane-type MMPs (MT-MMPs), have been proposed to play key roles in tumor invasion and metastasis (4). As a result, it is now accepted that in depth mechanistic understanding of the MT-MMP functionality will ultimately lead to novel and effective therapies against invasive, metastatic malignancies (5).The (1, 4). In contrast, the attachment of MT4-MMP and MT6-MMP to the plasma membrane takes place via a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) moiety that directs these proteinases to the caveola-enriched lipid raft compartment (6). Although there is a significant level of knowledge of the structural-functional relationships and regulation of MT1-MMP, an archetype member of the subfamily, exceedingly little is known about the biochemical and cellular properties of GPI-linked MT4-MMP and especially MT6-MMP. Originally, MT6-MMP was cloned from a fetal liver cDNA library and from leukocytes (7-9). Because of its abundance in leukocytes, the protease has also been called leukolysin. MT6-MMP was also found to be abnormally expressed by colon...