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Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play key roles in tissue remodelling under normal development and, especially, in diseases ranging from malignancies to stroke. Expression of MMP-21 is controlled uniquely by Pax and Notch transcription factors known to be critical for organogenesis. MMP-21 is expressed transiently in mouse embryogenesis and increased in embryonic neuronal tissues. Observations indicate that there is an important specific function for MMP-21 in embryogenesis, especially in neuronal cells (1). MMP-21 is expressed in various human fetal and adult tissues as well as in cancer cell lines. MMP-21 protein can also be detected in malignancies such as ovarian and colon carcinomas by immunohistochemical staining. Findings suggest that MMP-21 functions in embryogenesis and tumor progression (2). Results suggest that during development, MMP-21 expression is temporally and spatially tightly controlled. Unlike many classical MMPs, it is present in various normal adult tissues. Among epithelial MMPs, MMP-21 has a unique expression pattern in cancer (3).
