Description
Tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMP) family are natural inhibitors of the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), the zinc enzymes involved in extracellular matrix maintenance and remodeling. The TIMP family encompasses four members (TIMP1-4), and they inhibit most MMPs by forming non-covalent binary complex. TIMP2 is a 22 kDa non N-glycosylated protein expressed by a variety of cell types, and plays a unique role among TIMP family members owing to its functions to regulate cellular responses to growth factors. Findings establish an unexpected, MMP-independent mechanism for TIMP2 inhibition of endothelial cell proliferation in vitro and reveal an important component of the antiangiogenic effect of TIMP2 in vivo. TIMP-2 thus is critical to the maintenance of tissue homeostasis and is involved in the regulation of tumor microenvironment.