MMP-24
MMP-24 (MT5-MMP) is a membrane-type matrix metalloproteinase with a signature distribution in the nervous system, found in neurons of the cerebellum, brainstem and olfactory bulb and in a subset of glial cells. Biochemically it activates pro-MMP-2 at the cell surface and degrades proteoglycans and gelatin, functions that suit the enzyme to remodeling of the perineuronal and synaptic matrix. Expression rises during nervous-system development and after injury, and MMP-24 has been studied in models of neural regeneration and of neurodegenerative conditions. In glioma and medulloblastoma specimens the enzyme has been reported upregulated, where it may assist infiltration through the restricted extracellular space of brain tissue.
