Increased expression of the matrix metalloproteinase 2 in differentiating Tera 2 human embryonal carcinoma cells.

Secretion of proteolytic enzymes by cells has been implicated in tissue remodeling during embryonic development as well as in invasive neoplastic diseases. We studied the regulation of type-IV-collagenase activity in Tera 2 human embryonal carcinoma cells, which in the undifferentiated state proliferate rapidly and are tumorigenic. The undifferentiated cells produced relatively low levels of matrix-metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) activity. This activity was not markedly affected by exogenous basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) or 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA), even though the plasminogen activator activity of the cells was increased by these agents. Tera 2 cells can be induced by retinoic acid to differentiate into quiescent cells, of which many express neuronal characteristics. The type-IV-collagenase activity of the cells increased markedly during the differentiation. This increase was mainly due to increased expression of MMP-2. Expression of tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMP-1 and TIMP-2) was not markedly affected by the differentiation of Tera 2 cells. The results show that in the Tera 2 cell system, increased expression of MMP-2 is characteristic of the differentiated derivatives. This is in contrast with many other model systems, where increased type-IV-collagenase activity is associated with the malignant phenotype. This pattern of regulation may reflect the facts that Tera 2 cells resemble early embryonic cells and that their differentiation mimics related cell-differentiation processes in the developing embryo.