Regulation of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) activity by phosphorylation

The regulation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) has been studied extensively due to the fundamental roles these zinc-endopeptidases play in diverse physiological and pathological processes. However, phosphorylation has not previously been considered as a potential modulator of MMP activity. The ubiquitously expressed MMP-2 contains 29 potential phosphorylation sites. Mass spectrometry reveals that at least five of these sites are phosphorylated in hrMMP-2 expressed in mammalian cells. Treatment of HT1080 cells with an activator of protein kinase C results in a change in MMP-2 immunoreactivity on 2D immunoblots consistent with phosphorylation, and purified MMP-2 is phosphorylated by protein kinase C in vitro. Furthermore, MMP-2 from HT1080 cell-conditioned medium is immunoreactive with antibodies directed against phosphothreonine and phosphoserine, which suggests that it is phosphorylated. Analysis of MMP-2 activity by zymography, gelatin dequenching assays, and measurement of kinetic parameters shows that the phosphorylation status of MMP-2 significantly affects its enzymatic properties. Consistent with this, dephosphorylation of MMP-2 immunoprecipitated from HT1080 conditioned medium with alkaline phosphatase significantly increases its activity. We conclude that MMP-2 is modulated by phosphorylation on multiple sites and that protein kinase C may be a regulator of this protease in vivo.