Cardiac Sarcomeric Proteins: Novel Intracellular Targets of Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 in Heart Disease

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have been almost exclusively thought to be secreted proteases (with the exception of the membrane-type MMPs) that exert diverse biological actions in health and disease via proteolyzing substrates outside the cell. However, recent evidence has demonstrated that the role of MMPs goes far beyond their proteolytic activity in the extracellular matrix. MMP-2 is arguably the most ubiquitous member of the 23 member …