| First Author | Chun TH | Year | 2004 |
| Journal | J Cell Biol | Volume | 167 |
| Issue | 4 | Pages | 757-67 |
| PubMed ID | 15545316 | Mgi Jnum | J:94371 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3512653 | Doi | 10.1083/jcb.200405001 |
| Citation | Chun TH, et al. (2004) MT1-MMP-dependent neovessel formation within the confines of the three-dimensional extracellular matrix. J Cell Biol 167(4):757-67 |
| abstractText | During angiogenesis, endothelial cells initiate a tissue-invasive program within an interstitial matrix comprised largely of type I collagen. Extracellular matrix-degradative enzymes, including the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) MMP-2 and MMP-9, are thought to play key roles in angiogenesis by binding to docking sites on the cell surface after activation by plasmin- and/or membrane-type (MT) 1-MMP-dependent processes. To identify proteinases critical to neovessel formation, an ex vivo model of angiogenesis has been established wherein tissue explants from gene-targeted mice are embedded within a three-dimensional, type I collagen matrix. Unexpectedly, neither MMP-2, MMP-9, their cognate cell-surface receptors (i.e., beta3 integrin and CD44), nor plasminogen are essential for collagenolytic activity, endothelial cell invasion, or neovessel formation. Instead, the membrane-anchored MMP, MT1-MMP, confers endothelial cells with the ability to express invasive and tubulogenic activity in a collagen-rich milieu, in vitro or in vivo, where it plays an indispensable role in driving neovessel formation. |
