Role of zinc-binding- and hemopexin domain-encoded sequences in the substrate specificity of collagenase and stromelysin-2 as revealed by chimeric proteins.

The relationship of enzyme structure to substrate specificity for the matrix metalloproteinases interstitial collagenase and stromelysin-2 has been investigated by analysis of the cleavage specificity of recombinant human collagenase-stromelysin-2 hybrid proteins and C terminally truncated collagenase and stromelysin-2. Two series of chimeric proteins were devised by progressive substitution of exon-encoded domains. The recombinant proteins were expressed in COS-7 cells as protein A-fusion proteins and purified on an IgG affinity matrix.