Fibrillin degradation by matrix metalloproteinases: identification of amino- and carboxy-terminal cleavage sites

Fibrillin molecules form the structural framework of elastic fibrillin-rich microfibrils of the extracellular matrix. We have investigated the proteol ysis of recombinant fibrillin molecules by five matrix metalloproteinases. Cleavage sites mere defined at the carboxy-terminal end of the fihrillin-1 proline-rich region and the corresponding fibrillin-2 glycine-rich region ( exon 10), and within exon 49 towards the carboxy-terminus of fibrillin-1, C leavage at these sites is predicted to disrupt the structure and function o f the fibrillin-rich microfibrils, (C) 1999 Federation of European Biochemi cal Societies.