Description
Matrix metallopeptidase 13 (collagenase 3), also known as MMP13, is a glycosylated protein1 and a member of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) family of neutral endopeptidases, which is expressed in the skeleton during embryonic development2 and are involved in the breakdown of extracellular matrix in normal physiological processes, such as embryonic development, reproduction, and tissue remodeling, as well as in disease processes, such as arthritis and metastasis. MMP-13 is tightly bound to tissues and utilizes heparan sulfate proteoglycans as extracellular docking molecules. It is produced by many different cell types as an inactive proform that requires proteolytic activation to gain activity.3 Mutations causing lack of MMP-13 expression have been shown to be associated with skeletal disorders characterized by defective growth and modeling of the spine and long bones (spondyloepimetaphyseal dysplasias).4