AUTHOR=Sounni Nor Eddine , Paye Alexandra , Host Lorin , Noël Agnès 

TITLE=MT-MMPS as Regulators of Vessel Stability Associated with Angiogenesis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pharmacology

VOLUME=Volume 1 - 2011

YEAR=2011

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2011.00111

DOI=10.3389/fphar.2011.00111

ISSN=1663-9812

ABSTRACT=The development of vascular system depends on the coordinated activity of a number of distinct families of molecules including growth factors and their receptors, cell adhesion molecules, extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules and proteolytic enzymes. Matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) are a family of ECM degrading enzymes required for both physiological and pathological angiogenesis. Increasing evidence, point to a direct role of membrane type-MMPs (MT-MMPs) in vascular system stabilization, maturation and leakage. Our understanding of the nature of MT-MMP interaction with extracellular and cell surface molecules and their multiple roles in vessel walls and perivascular stroma may provide new insights into mechanisms underlying vascular cell-ECM interactions and cell fate decisions in pathological conditions. Regulation of vascular leakage by MT-MMP interactions with the ECM could also lead to novel targeting opportunities for drug delivery in tumor. This review will shed lights on the emerging roles of MT1-MMP and MT4-MMP in vascular system alterations associated with cancer progression.