Human rheumatoid synovial cells in culture secrete both 72-kDa progelatinase and a complex consisting of 72-kDa progelatinase and a 24-kDa inhibitor of metalloproteinases, TIMP-2. In addition, the culture medium contains TIMP-1, the classical inhibitor of metalloproteinases, with a molecular mass of 30 kDa. TIMP-1 does not form a complex with free 72-kDa progelatinase.Free progelatinase and progelatinase complexed with TIMP-2 can be activated with the organomercury compound p-aminophenylmercury acetate. The activated complex shows less than 10% the enzyme activity of activated free gelatinase.The progelatinase -TIMP-2 complex could be shown to be an inhibitor for other metalloproteinases, such as gelatinase and collagenase secreted by human rheumatoid synovia fibroblasts, as well as for the corresponding enzymes from human neutrophils.The tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP-1) is a glycoprotein with a molecular mass of about 30 kDa, purified initially from culture medium conditioned by normal skin fibroblasts, and later from various human sources, including plasma, amniotic fluid and synovial fluid [l -71.The TIMP-1 gene has been localized to the x chromosome [8]. The secreted protein consists of 184 amino acids and possesses six disulfide bonds and two glycosylation sites containing N-linked oligosaccharides [5, 91.TIMP-1 specifically inhibits the extracellular-matrix-degrading metalloproteinases such as collagenase, gelatinase and stromelysin. It has no activity on mammalian membrane metalloproteinase, procollagen peptidase, or on bacterial metalloproteinases such as thermolysin [lo].Originally it was thought that TIMP-1 only binds to active enzymes and not to latent ones. However, it was reported recently, that the 72-kDa progelatinase secreted by several cell types, such as Simian-virus-40-transformed human lung fibroblasts, Harvey murine sarcoma virus-transformed human bronchial epithelial cells, human A2058 melanoma cells and normal skin fibroblasts, exists in a stable, but noncovalent 1 : 1 stoichiometric complex with a 24-kDa inhibitor of metalloproteinases called TIMP-2 [ l l , 121. In addition, a 92-kDa progelatinase -TIMP-1 complex is secreted by human lung fibroblasts [13]. This proteinase is normally produced by macrophages and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL). PMNL do not produce a tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases, which may account for its 10-fold-higher specific activity 1131.We found human rheumatoid synovial cells to secrete not only the 72-kDa-progelatinase -TIMP-2 complex and TIMP-1, but in addition free 72-kDa progelatinase. In this communication, we show that TIMP-2, although complexed with the progelatinase, still remains an inhibitor of metalloproteinases. MATERIAL AND METHODS Cell cultureHuman rheumatoid synovium obtained by surgery was washed in Hank's solution and freed from fat and cartilage, cut into pieces (approximately 1 mm3 in size), washed with Hank's solution again, and distributed into 75-cmZ culture flasks. 8 ml Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium containing ...

C-terminal truncated membrane-type 2 matrix metalloproteinase (MT2-MMP1-269), comprising prodomain and catalytic domain, was expressed as a soluble protein in Escherichia coli. Unlike the corresponding form of MT1-MMP, which can be isolated as a 31 kDa protein, MT2-MMP1-269 proved to be comparatively instable, and already the freshly isolated preparation displayed several proteins in SDS-PAGE representing MT2-MMP1-269 (33 kDa) and four N-truncated forms with N-termini methionine32 (30 kDa), isoleucine37 (30 kDa), leucine84 (24 kDa), and leucine93 (22 kDa), the catalytic domain. After thawing of frozen preparations the 33 and the 30 kDa proforms were no longer detectable in SDS-PAGE, and only the 24 and 22 kDa forms remained. The catalytic domain of MT2-MMP activated progelatinase A as well as the progelatinase A/TMP-2 complex by cleaving the 72 kDa progelatinase A to yield 67 kDa gelatinase A, which is then transformed into 62 kDa gelatinase A. The 62 kDa form is about twice as active as the 67 kDa form towards the synthetic substrate N-(2,4)-dinitrophenyl-Pro-Gln-Gly-Ile-Ala-Gly-Gln-D-Arg. No significant difference in activity was found between free and complexed gelatinase A forms. the activation of the progelatinase A/TIMP-2 complex proceeds in two steps: At first MT2-MMP is inhibited by the progelatinase A/TIMP-2/MT2-MMP, complex, whereby a ternary complex, progelatinase A/TIMP-2/ MT-2MMP is generated. This ternary complex is then activated by excess MT2-MMP. Our results suggest a mechanism for spatially regulated extracellular gelatinase A activity mediated by activation with membrane-type MMPs; Free gelatinase A is released into the extracellular space, while gelatinase A/TIMP-2 bound to MT-MMP remains anchored on the cell surface.

Incubation of progelatinase B, isolated from human polymorphonuclear leukocytes, with TIMP-1 leads to the formation of the progelatinase B/TIMP-1 complex. This complex behaves like a Janus in a similar manner as we previously described for the progelatinase A/TIMP-2 complex. It shows the properties of TIMP-1 and is a better inhibitor for gelatinase A than for gelatinase B. Treatment with trypsin leads to activation of the binary complex. The activity, however, amounts only to slightly more than 10% of the activity of free gelatinase B, not complexed with TIMP-1. When the progelatinase B/TIMP-1 complex inhibits an active matrix metalloproteinase, a ternary complex is generated that after activation displays a distinct higher proteolytic activity than the active binary complex. The active binary complex cannot be transformed into the active ternary complex.

The three forms of neutrophil gelatinase B -monomer, homodimer and monomer/lipocalin complex -, were isolated from phorbolester stimulated neutrophil granulocytes by chromatography on gelatin-Sepharose and heparin-Ultrogel. On average, about 50% of the monomer/lipocalin complex was found to be complexed with TIMP-1. After activation with trypsin monomer, homodimer and monomer/lipocalin complex displayed a specific activity of about 2000 mU/mg towards the substrate N-(2,4)-dinitrophenyl-Pro-GlnGly-lle-Ala-Gly-Gln-D-Arg, whereas the monomer/ lipocalin/TIMP-1 complex could be activated to a specific activity of only 200 mU/mg. The ternary monomer/lipocalin/TIMP-1 complex behaves like the progelatinase A-TIMP-2 complex and the progelatinase B-TIMP-1 complex in that it is an inhibitor for active metalloproteinases (MMPs) and, after activation, a gelatinase with a pronouncedly reduced activity. When the monomer/lipocalin/TIMP-1 complex inhibits an MMP, a quaternary complex monomer/lipocalin/TIMP-1/MMP is generated which after activation shows a sixfold higher proteolytic activity than the active ternary complex.

Membrane binding of urokinase type plasminogen activator (u-PA) is thought to play a pivotal role in connective tissue remodeling and invasive processes. We compare the ability of different matrix-metalloproteinases involved in connective tissue turnover to cleave pro-urokinase type plasminogen activator between the catalytic domain and the receptor binding part to investigate a potential role for matrix-metalloproteinases in the regulation of membrane-associated proteolytic activity. We employed several forms of human stromelysin-1 (full length, C-truncated, and recombinant catalytic domain), rabbit C-truncated stromelysin-1, the human gelatinases A and B and the human catalytic domain of neutrophil collagenase. The gelatinases and the collagenase did not separate the receptor binding domain of pro-urokinase type plasminogen activator from the catalytic domain, whereas all stromelysin-1 forms cleaved the glutamic acid 143-leucine 144 bond of pro-urokinase type plasminogen activator. This reaction could be inhibited by specific inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases and was not affected by inhibitors of serine proteinases. The M(r) 31000 cleavage product with leucine 144 as N-terminus displayed no proteolytic activity towards the pro-urokinase type plasminogen activator substrate pyroGlu-Gly-Arg-pNA-HCI (S2444), but it could be activated by an additional treatment with plasmin. Comparison between full length stromelysin-1 and its C-truncated forms, showed that both exhibited the same cleavage properties towards pro-urokinase type plasminogen activator. Thus, the cleavage of pro-urokinase type plasminogen activator by stromelysin-1 is not influenced by the presence or absence of the C-terminal domain. The recombinant catalytic domain of MMP-3 generated pro-urokinase type plasminogen activator, whereas incubation of pro-urokinase type plasminogen activator with the native forms of human or rabbit stromelysin-1 led to a moderate activation of pro-uPA due to an additional cleavage that is catalyzed by a serine proteinase.