Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.4.24.17 (MMP-3)
 3,419 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Although alpha-synuclein is the main structural component of the insoluble filaments that form Lewy bodies in Parkinson disease (PD), its physiological function and exact role in neuronal death remain poorly understood. In the present study, we examined the possible functional relationship between alpha-synuclein and several forms of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in the human dopaminergic neuroblastoma (SK-N-BE) cell line. When SK-N-BE cells were transiently transfected with alpha-synuclein, it was secreted into the extracellular culture media, concomitantly with a significant decrease in cell viability. Also the addition of nitric oxide-generating compounds to the cells caused the secreted alpha-synuclein to be digested, producing a small fragment whose size was similar to that of the fragment generated during the incubation of alpha-synuclein with various MMPs in vitro. Among several forms of MMPs, alpha-synuclein was cleaved most efficiently by MMP-3, and MALDI-TOF mass spectra analysis showed that alpha-synuclein is cleaved from its C-terminal end with at least four cleavage sites within the non-Abeta component of AD amyloid sequence. Compared with the intact form, the protein aggregation of alpha-synuclein was remarkably facilitated in the presence of the proteolytic fragments, and the fragment-induced aggregates showed more toxic effect on cell viability. Moreover, the levels of MMP-3 were also found to be increased significantly in the rat PD brain model produced by the cerebral injection of 6-hydroxydopamine into the substantia nigra. The present study suggests that the extracellularly secreted alpha-synuclein could be processed via the activation of MMP-3 in a selective manner.
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PMID:Proteolytic cleavage of extracellular secreted {alpha}-synuclein via matrix metalloproteinases. 1586 97

Recent evidence indicates that protein aggregation and in particular the formation of toxic protein oligomers is a key mechanism in synucleinopathies such as Parkinson's disease (PD). Post mortem brain tissue studies as well as animal studies furthermore suggest that matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are also involved in the pathogenesis of PD. We used confocal single molecule spectroscopy to characterize the influence of MMPs and other proteases on the aggregation of alpha-synuclein. These studies were complemented by the characterization of alpha-synuclein fragment patterns generated by these proteases using gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. Limited digestion by MMP-1 and MMP-3, but not by MMP-9, increased the tendency of alpha-synuclein to aggregate. Proteinase K and Trypsin did not increase the level of de novo aggregation of alpha-synuclein. SDS-PAGE as well as MALDI-ToF analysis of limitedly digested alpha-synuclein demonstrate that all proteases generate different fragments of alpha-synuclein. We provide mass spectrometry data of proteolytic alpha-synuclein fragments and propose specific cleavage sites for MMP-1 and MMP-9 in alpha-synuclein. We furthermore found four additional cleavage sites of MMP-3 that had not been described previously. In order to increase aggregation of alpha-synuclein, specific cleavage between the highly charged C-terminal domain and the aggregation-prone NAC domain of alpha-synuclein seems to be crucial. Our findings obtained in vitro in a well-characterized model of pathological alpha-synuclein aggregation indicate that MMP-1 and MMP-3 may also influence pathogenesis of PD in vivo by generation of specific aggregation-enhancing alpha-synuclein fragments resulting from limited proteolysis.
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PMID:Increased alpha-synuclein aggregation following limited cleavage by certain matrix metalloproteinases. 1902 50

The mutation or overexpression of alpha-synuclein protein plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. In our preliminary experiments, we found that alpha-synuclein induced the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) (MMP-1, -3, -8, and -9) in rat primary cultured microglia. Thus, the current study was undertaken to determine the roles of MMPs in alpha-synuclein-induced microglial activation. The inhibition of MMP-3, -8, or -9 significantly reduced NO and reactive oxygen species levels and suppressed the expression of TNF-alpha and IL-1beta. Notably, MMP-8 inhibitor suppressed TNF-alpha production more efficaciously than MMP-3 or MMP-9 inhibitors. Inhibition of MMP-3 or -9 also suppressed the activities of MAPK, NF-kappaB, and AP-1. Previously, protease-activated receptor-1 (PAR-1) has been associated with the actions of MMPs, and thus, we further investigated the role of PAR-1 in alpha-synuclein-induced inflammatory reactions. A PAR-1-specific inhibitor and a PAR-1 antagonist significantly suppressed cytokine levels, and NO and reactive oxygen species production in alpha-synuclein-treated microglia. Subsequent PAR-1 cleavage assay revealed that MMP-3, -8, and -9, but not alpha-synuclein, cleaved the synthetic peptide containing conventional PAR-1 cleavage sites. These results suggest that MMPs secreted by alpha-synuclein-stimulated microglia activate PAR-1 and amplify microglial inflammatory signals in an autocrine or paracrine manner. Furthermore, our findings suggest that modulation of the activities of MMPs and/or PAR-1 may provide a new therapeutic strategy for Parkinson's disease.
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PMID:Alpha-synuclein activates microglia by inducing the expressions of matrix metalloproteinases and the subsequent activation of protease-activated receptor-1. 2051 51