Degradation of the extracellular matrix leads to the release of fragments, which elicit biological responses distinct from intact molecules. We have reported that ␣1:Ser 2091 -Arg 2108 , a peptide derived from the ␣1-chain of laminin-1, triggers protein kinase C-dependent activation of MAPK erk1/2 , leading to the up-regulation of macrophage urokinase type plasminogen activator and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 expression. Since intact laminin-1 failed to trigger these events, we hypothesized that ␣1:Ser 2091 -Arg 2108 is cryptic or assumes a conformation not recognized by macrophages. Here we demonstrate that elastase cleavage of laminin-1 generates fragments, which stimulate proteinase expression by RAW264.7 macrophages and peritoneal macrophages. In contrast, fragments generated by MMP-2, MMP-7, or plasmin had no effect on macrophage proteinase expression. Elastase-generated laminin-1 fragments were fractionated by heparin-Sepharose chromatography. Heparinbinding fragments stimulated macrophages' proteinase expression severalfold greater than nonbinding fragments. The heparin binding fragments reacted with antibodies directed against regions of the ␣1-chain including ␣1:Ser In earlier studies, we tested the hypothesis that the ECM regulates macrophage proteinase expression by culturing macrophages on ECM purified from Engelbreth Holm Swarm (EHS) sarcoma (Matrigel TM ) (8,9). Results demonstrated that the expression of urokinase type plasminogen activator (uPA) and MMP-9 by murine RAW264.7 macrophages, human THP-1 monocytes, and human bone marrow-derived macrophages were strongly up-regulated. This was the first demonstration that the engagement of ECM by macrophages stimulates their expression of both uPA and MMP-9. Since the uPA/plasmin system is a physiologic activator of MMPs (10, 11), the ECM emerges as a potent regulator of the macrophage-degradative phenotype.The ECM component responsible for stimulating macrophage proteinase expression was identified as laminin-1 (8).Laminins are large heterotrimeric molecules (ϳ500 -1000 kDa) with multiple domains that mediate their attachment to cells and other ECM components (12). Twelve laminin heterotrimers (assembled from five ␣, three , and three ␥ chains) have been identified in mammals. Laminin-1 was the first of this family to be identified (13) and remains the best understood of the laminin isoforms (12,14). It consists of ␣1 (ϳ400 kDa), 1 (ϳ200 kDa), and ␥1 (ϳ200 kDa) chains. The NH 2 -terminal portions of the ␣1-, 1-, and ␥1-chains are free, whereas much of the rest of the chains are twisted in a coiled-coil. The COOH-terminal portion of the ␣1-chain extends past the coiled-coil region and forms a large oblong globule (G-domain) consisting of five homologous repeats. The G-domain is the principle heparin-binding region of laminin-1 (15, 16).In an effort to identify the domains of laminin-1 responsible for stimulating macrophage proteinase expression, we examined synthetic peptides, which were reported to support cell adhesion and stimulate a variety ...