Functional analyses and regulation of the metabolism of tissue microenvironmental factors by metalloproteinases

我们寻找基质金属蛋白酶(MMPs)和去整合素和金属蛋白酶(ADAM)基因家族成员的相互作用分子，并研究这些金属蛋白酶在癌症和非肿瘤性疾病组织微环境因子代谢中的作用，目的是开发新的诊断和/或治疗工具。我们的研究包括几种原MMPs的纯化，MMPs在皮肤创伤愈合中的作用，ADAM28在癌细胞增殖和转移中的作用，ADAM28的检测方法的建立，以及ADAMTS4和ADAM12在骨关节炎软骨破坏和修复中的作用。

We searched for interacting molecules for members of the MMP (matrix metalloproteinase) and the ADAM (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase) gene families, and investigated roles of these metalloproteinases in metabolism of tissue microenvironmental factors in cancers and non-neoplastic diseases with an aim of developing novel diagnostic and/or therapeutic tools. Our studies provided progresses in purification of several proMMPs, roles of MMPs in skin wound healing, implications of ADAM28 in cancer cell proliferation and metastasis, development of a measuring method for ADAM28, and roles of ADAMTS4 and ADAM12 in destruction and repair of osteoarthritic cartilage.