Matrix metalloproteinase genes in Xenopus development.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a large family of proteins in vertebrates, consisting of over 24 genes in humans, only a few of which have been identified in Xenopus. Three genes coding for MMPs in Xenopus have been identified and their expression studied during development. The membrane-bound XMMP-14 and -15 (XMT1-MMP and XMT2-MMP) both showed restricted expression patterns, the former principally localising to cranial neural crest tissues and the latter to the epidermis of the embryo. XMMP-7 codes for an MMP that lacks the hemopexin-like domain. It is expressed exclusively in macrophages or other myeloid cell types from early in development.