Isolation of a mouse MT2-MMP gene from a lung cDNA library and identification of its product.

We have isolated a new MT-MMP related gene of 3.3 kb from a mouse lung cDNA library using a human MT1-MMP cDNA as a probe. The deduced protein sequence shows 87% homology to human MT2-MMP and 52, 50 and 29% to MT1-MMP, MT3-MMP and MT4-MMP, respectively. Thus the gene is thought to be a mouse homologue of human MT2-MMP. A monoclonal antibody raised against a synthetic peptide recognized mouse MT2-MMP as a 70 kDa protein. Like MT1- and MT3-MMPs, mouse MT2-MMP caused activation of progelatinase A upon co-transfection into COS-1 cells.