MMP16

MMP16

A gene on chromosome 8q21.3 that encodes matrix metalloproteinase 16, an endopeptidase that degrades components of the extracellular matrix, including collagen III and fibronectin, and activates progelatinase A. Unlike other matrix metalloproteinases, which are secreted as inactive proproteins and activated when cleaved by extracellular proteinases, MMP16 is a transmembrane protein that is activated from its precursor by furin endopeptidase cleavage. It is expressed in the heart, brain, placenta, ovaries and small intestine.
Molecular pathology
Interaction of MMP16 and CSPG4 may trigger degradation and invasion of type-I collagen by melanomas.