Metalloproteinases secretion from cultured cells: Differentiation by detergents

Abstract

Aim: Matrix metalloproteinases, particularly MMP-2 and MMP-9, are the active factors influencing the structure and properties of the extracellular matrix. This effect is enhanced in metastasis. Hence, it is necessary to enrich the knowledge of the relation between the accumulation and distribution of the enzymes in cells and the intensity of their secretion. Material/Methods: The study was conducted on three cell lines of dermal origin: normal line of human dermal fibroblasts (NHDF) and two melanoma lines (BM and B16F10). The results were obtained with substrate zymography, immunofluorescence microscopy and detergent-complemented fluorimetric assay. Results: All the studied cell lines revealed relatively rich content of MMP-2 (latent and active) with random intracellular localization. Nevertheless, the enzyme secretion was differentiated in various types of cells. The most intensive proMMP-2 secretion was obtained for NHDF, relatively lower for BM, and the lowest for B16F10 line. Zymographic detection of the active form of MMP-2 was restricted to NHDF and BM cell lines. On the other hand, differentiating usage of detergents Brij 35P and Triton X-100 evidenced an active fraction of MMP-2 present in cells of all studied lines. Triton X-100-generated lysis of cells of high MMP-2 secretion (NHDF, BM) revealed the presence of intracellular inhibitors. Conclusions: From the obtained results it can be concluded that the active form of MMP-2 is localized pericellularly in studied cells, being a minor fraction of a total amount of cellular MMP-2. The rest of the enzyme content is located deeper in cell cytoplasm in a latent form. The activity of the pericellular fraction of the enzyme can be measured with detergent-complemented fluorimetric assay, constituting a potentially useful tool for evaluating the enzyme distribution.