A cellular based assay to monitor the cleavage of the extracellular matrix by matrix metalloproteinases as a tool for drug discovery against metastasis
Some of the most important genes up regulated in cancerous tissues are those that encode for Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs). MMPs are enzymes critical for the remodeling of the protein milieu, known as the extracellular matrix (ECM), which surrounds and supports cells throughout the body. While these proteins can be either secreted or membrane-bound, they function to remodel the extracellular environments in healthy individuals. However, in cancerous cells, overexpression of MMPs aids in the breakthrough of cancerous cells from their original niche into the bloodstream for metastatic spread to distant organs. Here we show an assay that aims to monitor the activity of the MMP known as MMP-14 or Membrane Tethered 1 (MT-1) via a two-tagged engineered scaffold and antibody staining. Through this assay, we seek to offer a novel method in searching for new inhibitors of MMP-14, a molecule that often is associated with poor survival prognosis in cancer patients.
