Vitamin D3 regulation of stromelysin-1 (MMP-3) in chondrocyte cultures is mediated by protein kinase C

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a group of enzymes with the potential to degrade extracellular matrix proteins. One of the MMPs, stromelysin-1 (MMP-3) has been localized to extracellular matrix vesicles in growth plate chondrocyte cultures, suggesting involvement of this enzyme in remodeling of the extracellular matrix during endochondral development, a process which is regulated by the vitamin D metabolites, 1,25-(OH)₂D₃ and 24,25-(OH)₂D₃. To determine whether stromelysin-1 is regulated by vitamin D as well, confluent cultures of cells derived from growth zone (GC) and resting zone (RC) rat costochondral cartilage were treated with 1α,25-(OH)₂D₃ (1,25) and 24R,25-(OH)₂D₃ (24,25), respectively, and the effect on stromelysin-1 assessed by casein gel zymography and Western blots. Although stromelysin-1 activity was enriched in the matrix vesicle fraction, only the plasma membrane enzyme was affected by the treatment; 1,25 and 24,25 caused a marked decrease in plasma membrane stromelysin-1 activity in their target cells. Since plasma membrane protein kinase C (PKC) activity is stimulated by 1,25 and 24,25, we hypothesized that stromelysin-1 activity was regulated by the vitamin D metabolites via PKC-dependent phosphorylation. To test this, membrane fractions (containing endogenous PKCα and ζ as well as stromelysin-1) were incubated in the presence of purified rat brain PKC and/or recombinant human (rh) stromelysin-1 and [γ³²P]-ATP and anti-stromelysin-1 immunoprecipitates were analyzed by autoradiography and Western blots. Immuno-phospho-stromelysin-1 was localized to a 52-kDa band in the plasma membrane fraction only; no phosphorylation was observed in the matrix vesicle fraction. Selective inhibitors of PKC activity demonstrated that phosphorylation was inhibited by H7 and low concentrations of H8, but not by HA1004, indicating that PKC, not PKA, was responsible. Protein phosphatase 2A, (PP2A), a serine/threonine-specific phosphatase, selectively removed the radiolabel in a time-dependent manner, providing further support for a PKC-dependent phosphorylation mechanism. Incubation of resting zone cell plasma membranes with 24,25, but not 1,25, resulted in phosphorylation of stromelysin-1, demonstrating that the nongenomic effect was metabolite-specific. This suggests that this may be one mechanism by which vitamin D metabolites regulate stromelysin-1 activity and that PKC-dependent phosphorylation inhibits the metalloproteinase. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

A Novel β-Agarase with High pH Stability from Marine Agarivorans sp. LQ48

A novel endo-type β-agarase gene, agaA, was cloned from a newly isolated marine bacterium, Agarivorans sp. LQ48. It encodes a protein of 457 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 51.2 kDa. The deduced protein contains a typical N-terminal signal peptide of 25 amino acid residues, followed by a catalytic module, which is homologous to that of glycoside hydrolase family 16. A sequence similar to a carbohydrate-binding module is found in the C-terminal region of the enzyme. The overall amino acid sequence shares a highest identity of 73% with the sequence of beta-agarase AgaB from Pseudoalteromonas sp. strain CY24. The mature agarase was highly expressed extracellularly in Escherichia coli. At pH 7.0 and 40°C, the purified recombinant AgaA had a high specific activity of 349.3 μmol min⁻¹ mg⁻¹, a K _m of 3.9 mg ml⁻¹, and a V _max of 909.1 μmol min⁻¹ mg⁻¹ for agarose. The recombinant enzyme hydrolyzed the β-1,4-glycosidic linkages of agarose, yielding neoagarotetraose and neoagarohexaose as the main products. Enzyme activity analysis revealed that the optimal temperature and pH of the recombinant AgaA were 40°C and 7.0, respectively. Notably, AgaA still retained more than 95% activity after incubation at pH 3.0–11.0 for 1 h, a characteristic much different from other agarases reported. It is the first agarase identified to have so wide a pH range stability. This favorable property could make AgaA to be attractive to the food, cosmetic, and medical industrial applications.     

Domain specific overexpression of TIMP-2 and TIMP-3 reveals MMP-independent functions of TIMPs during Xenopus laevis development

Extracellular matrix remodelling mediates many processes including cell migration and differentiation and is regulated through the enzymatic action of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). TIMPs are secreted proteins, consisting of structurally and functionally distinct N- and C-terminal domains. TIMP N-terminal domains inhibit MMP activity, whereas their C-terminal domains may have cell signalling activity. The in vivo role of TIMP N- and C-terminal domains in regulating developmental events has not previously been demonstrated. Here we investigated the roles of TIMP-2 and TIMP-3 N- and C-terminal domains in Xenopus laevis embryos. We show that overexpression of TIMP-2 N- and C-terminal domains results in severe developmental defects and death, as well as unique changes in MMP-2 and -9 expression, indicating that the individual domains may regulate MMPs through distinct mechanisms. In contrast, we show that only the N-terminal, but not the C-terminal domain of TIMP-3, results in developmental defects.     

Unloading the infarcted heart affect MMPs–TIMPs axis in a rat cardiac heterotopic transplantation model

Ventricular assist devices may function as a bridge to recovery or heart transplantation, however, little is known about its mechanisms. This study examined the role of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMP) axis in the process of recovery after unloading in a rat ischemic-induce heart failure (HF) model. Myocardial infarction model was created with the coronary artery ligation. The infarcted rats hearts were unloaded by heterotopic cardiac transplantation (n = 14). 2 weeks later, the function of normal and infarcted hearts with or without loading was evaluated by Langendorff perfusion model. The hearts were then harvested and prepared for the study of expression of MMPs and TIMPs. Developed pressure in the unloading group was higher than the loading group (P = 0.0074). Unloading increased the ratio of TIMP-1–MMP-1(1.38 ± 0.11 vs. 0.76 ± 0.09, P < 0.05), TIMP-2–MMP-2 (1.06 ± 0.10 vs. 0.33 ± 0.07, P < 0.01), TIMP-3–MMP-9(1.07 ± 0.08 vs. 0.59 ± 0.06, P < 0.05). Although MMP-1, 2, 9 were downregulated (P < 0.01, 0.01, 0.05, respectively), TIMP-2 and TIMP-3 upregulated (P < 0.01, 0.05, respectively), MMP-7 and TIMP-1 was not affected significantly. The infarcted cardiac function could be improved by unloading. It was attributed to downregulation of MMP-1, 2 and 9, and upregulation of TIMP-2 and -3, and furthermore, the ratio of TIMPs to MMPs was increased, which might be more sensitive than sole MMPs or TIMPs for the judgment of myocardial matrix homeostasis.     

Triple fusion of d-amino acid oxidase from Trigonopsis variabilis with polyhistidine and Vitreoscilla hemoglobin

Fusion proteins of d-amino acid oxidase from Trigonopsis variabilis (TvDAAO) with Vitreoscilla Hemoglobin (VHb) and (His)₆-tag were constructed and expressed in recombinant Escherichia coli. A fusing-position effect was revealed that (His)₆-tag’s N-terminal fusion with TvDAAO (HDAAO) reduced the specific activity by ~29%, while the C-terminal fusion (DAAOH) remained unreduced. The N-terminal fusion of VHb with TvDAAO and DAAOH significantly improved their activity. As in a 5 l fermentor, the activity of the triple fusion VHb-TvDAAO-(His)₆ (VDAAOH) reached 2.53 U/mg dry cell at 9 h, ~58% increase than that of DAAOH together with ~40% biomass increase, confirming the positive effect of VHb expression on cell level. After purification, the UV–visible and fluorescence spectrum of DAAOH and VDAAOH were characterized. Enzyme kinetics studies further indicated that VDAAOH behaved a higher K _cat, but a weaker substrate affinity of K _m relative to DAAOH, revealing two distinct impacts of VHb-coupling with TvDAAO on protein level.     

Production of functional human α1-antitrypsin by plant cell culture

Recombinant human α₁-antitrypsin (rAAT) was expressed and secreted from transgenic rice cell suspension cultures in its biologically active form. This was accomplished by transforming rice callus tissues with an expression vector, p3D-AAT, containing the cDNA for mature human AAT protein. Regulated expression and secretion of rAAT from this vector was achieved using the promoter, signal peptide, and terminator from a rice α-amylase gene Amy3D. The Amy3D gene of rice is tightly controlled by simple sugars such as sucrose. It was possible, therefore, to induce the expression of the rAAT by removing sucrose from the cultured media or by allowing the rice suspension cells to deplete sucrose catabolically. Although transgenic rice cell produced a heterogeneous population of the rAAT molecules, they had the same N-terminal amino acids as those found in serum-derived (native) AAT from humans. This result indicates that the rice signal peptidase recognizes and cleaves the novel sequence between the Amy3D signal peptide and the first amino acid of the mature human AAT. The highest molecular weight band seen on Western blots (AAT top band) was found to have the correct C-terminal amino acid sequence and normal elastase binding activity. Staining with biotin-concanavalin A and avidin horseradish peroxidase confirmed the glycosylation of the rAAT, albeit to a lesser extent than that observed with native AAT. The rAAT, purified by immunoaffinity chromatography, had the same association rate constant for porcine pancreatic elastase as the native AAT. Thermostability studies revealed that the rAAT and native AAT decayed at the same rate, suggesting that the rAAT is correctly folded. The productivity of rice suspension cells expressing rAAT was 4.6–5.7 mg/g dry cell. Taken together, these results support the use of rice cell culture as a promising new expression system for production of biologically active recombinant proteins. Received: 18 January 1999 / Received revision: 26 April 1999 / Accepted: 1 May 1999     

Discovery of a new tyrosinase-like enzyme family lacking a C-terminally processed domain: production and characterization of an Aspergillus oryzae catechol oxidase

A homology search against public fungal genome sequences was performed to discover novel secreted tyrosinases. The analyzed proteins could be divided in two groups with different lengths (350–400 and 400–600 residues), suggesting the presence of a new class of secreted enzymes lacking the C-terminal domain. Among them, a sequence from Aspergillus oryzae (408 aa, AoCO4) was selected for production and characterization. AoCO4 was expressed in Trichoderma reesei under the strong cbh1 promoter. Expression of AoCO4 in T. reesei resulted in high yields of extracellular enzyme, corresponding to 1.5 g L⁻¹ production of the enzyme. AoCO4 was purified with a two-step purification procedure, consisting of cation and anion exchange chromatography. The N-terminal analysis of the protein revealed N-terminal processing taking place in the Kex2/furin-type protease cleavage site and removing the first 51 amino acids from the putative N-terminus. AoCO4 activity was tested on various substrates, and the highest activity was found on 4-tert-butylcatechol. Because no activity was detected on L-tyrosine and on l-dopa, AoCO4 was classified as a catechol oxidase. AoCO4 showed the highest activity within an acidic and neutral pH range, having an optimum at pH 5.6. AoCO4 showed good pH stability within a neutral and alkaline pH range and good thermostability up to 60°C. The UV–visible and circular dichroism spectroscopic analysis suggested that the folding of the protein was correct.     

Heterologous expression of polyhydroxyalkanoate depolymerase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thermobifida</Emphasis> sp. in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pichia pastoris</Emphasis> and catalytic analysis by surface plasmon resonance

A polyhydroxyalkanote depolymerase gene from Thermobifida sp. isolate BCC23166 was cloned and expressed as a C-terminal His₆-tagged fusion in Pichia pastoris. Primary structure analysis revealed that the enzyme PhaZ-Th is a member of a proposed new subgroup of SCL-PHA depolymerase containing a proline–serine repeat linker. PhaZ-Th was expressed as two glycosylated forms with apparent molecular weights of 61 and 70 kDa, respectively. The enzyme showed esterase activity toward p-nitrophenyl alkanotes with V _max and K _m of 3.63 ± 0.16 μmol min⁻¹ mg⁻¹ and 0.79 ± 0.12 mM, respectively, on p-nitrophenyl butyrate with optimal activity at 50–55°C and pH 7–8. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis demonstrated that PhaZ-Th catalyzed the degradation of poly-[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate] (PHB) films, which was accelerated in (R)-3-hydroxyvalerate copolymers with a maximum degradation rate of 882 ng cm⁻² h⁻¹ for poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate] (12 mol% V). Surface deterioration, especially on the amorphous regions of PHB films was observed after exposure to PhaZ-Th by atomic force microscopy. The use of P. pastoris as an alternative recombinant system for bioplastic degrading enzymes in secreted form and a sensitive SPR analytical technique will be of utility for further study of bioplastic degradation.     

Heterologous expression and characterization of a recombinant thermostable alkylsulfatase (<Emphasis Type="Italic">sdsAP</Emphasis>)

A novel alkylsulfatase gene, sdsAP, was cloned from a newly isolated bacterium Pseudomonas sp. S9. It encoded a protein of 675 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 74.9 kDa. The protein contained a typical N-terminal signal peptide of 41 amino acid residues, followed by a metallo-β-lactamase like domain at the N-terminus and a SCP-2-like domain at the C-terminus. This domain organization mode suggested that it belonged to the type III sulfatase. The mature alkylsulfatase was overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The optimal temperature and pH of the recombinant SdsAP were 70°C and 9.0, respectively. Notably, at optimal conditions, the purified recombinant SdsAP had a high specific activity of 23.25 μmol min⁻¹ mg⁻¹, a K _{m (app)} of 264.3 μmol, and a V _{max (app)} of 33.8 μmol min⁻¹ mg⁻¹ for SDS. Additionally, it still retained more than 90% activity after incubation at 65°C for 1 h, which was much different from other alkylsulfatases reported. The recombinant enzyme hydrolyzed the primary alkyl sulfate such as sodium octyl sulfate and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). It was a Zn²⁺-containing and Ca²⁺ activated alkylsulfatase. This is the first report to explore the various characteristics of the heterologous recombinant alkylsulfatase in details. These favorable properties could make SdsAP attractive to be useful in the degradation of SDS-containing waste.     

Secretion, purification, and characterisation of barley α-amylase produced by heterologous gene expression in Aspergillus niger

Efficient production of recombinant barley α-amylase has been achieved in Aspergillus niger. The cDNA encoding α-amylase isozyme 1 (AMY1) and its signal peptide was placed under the control of the Aspergillus nidulans glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gpd) promoter and the A. nidulans trpC gene terminator. Secretion yields up to 60 mg/l were obtained in media optimised for α-amylase activity and low protease activity. The recombinant AMY1 (reAMY1) was purified to homogeneity and found to be identical to native barley AMY1 with respect to size, pI, and immunoreactivity. N-terminal sequence analysis of the recombinant protein indicated that the endogenous plant signal peptide is correctly processed in A. niger. Electrospray ionisation/mass spectrometry gave a molecular mass for the dominant form of 44 960 Da, in accordance with the loss of the LQRS C-terminal residues; glycosylation apparently did not occur. The activities of recombinant and native barley α-amylases are very similar towards insoluble and soluble starch as well as 2-chloro-4-nitrophenol β-d-maltoheptaoside and amylose (degree of polymerisation = 17). Barley α-amylase is the first plant protein efficiently secreted and correctly processed by A. niger using its own signal sequence. Received: 22 August 1997 / Received revision: 21 November 1997 / Accepted: 29 November 1997     

Modulatory effect of interleukin-1α on expression of structural matrix proteins,MMPs and TIMPs in human cardiac myofibroblasts: Role of p38 MAP kinase

The proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 (IL-1) elicits catabolic effects on the myocardial extracellular matrix (ECM) early after myocardial infarction but there is little understanding of its direct effects on cardiac myofibroblasts (CMF), or the role of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). We used a focused RT-PCR microarray to investigate the effects of IL-1α on expression of 41 ECM genes in CMF cultured from different patients, and explored regulation by p38 MAPK.IL-1α (10 ng/ml, 6 h) had minimal effect on mRNA expression of structural ECM proteins, including collagens, laminins, fibronectin and vitronectin. However, it induced marked increases in expression of specific ECM proteases, including matrix metalloproteinases MMP-1 (collagenase-1), MMP-3 (stromelysin-1), MMP-9 (gelatinase-B) and MMP-10 (stromelysin-2). Conversely, IL-1α reduced mRNA and protein expression of ADAMTS1, a metalloproteinase that suppresses neovascularization. IL-1α increased expression of TIMP-1 slightly, but not TIMP-2. Data for MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-3, MMP-9, MMP-10 and ADAMTS1 were confirmed by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα), another important myocardial proinflammatory cytokine, did not alter expression of these metalloproteinases. IL-1α strongly activated the p38 MAPK pathway in human CMF. Pharmacological inhibitors of p38-α/β (SB203580) or p38-α/β/γ/δ (BIRB-0796) reduced MMP-3 and ADAMTS1 mRNA expression, but neither inhibitor affected MMP-9 levels. MMP-1 and MMP-10 expression were inhibited by BIRB-0796 but not SB203580, suggesting roles for p38-γ/δ.In summary, IL-1α induces a distinct pattern of ECM protein and protease expression in human CMF, in part regulated by distinct p38 MAPK subtypes, affirming the key role of IL-1α and CMF in post-infarction cardiac remodeling.     

Enhanced Production of Human Recombinant Proteins from CHO cells Grown to High Densities in Macroporous Microcarriers

Macroporous microcarriers entrap cells in a mesh network allowing growth to high densities and protect them from high shear forces in stirred bioreactor cultures. We report the growth of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells producing either recombinant human beta-interferon (β-IFN) or recombinant human tissue-plasminogen activator (t-PA) in suspension or embedded in macroporous microcarriers (Cytopore 1 or 2). The microcarriers enhanced the volumetric production of both β-IFN and t-PA by up to 2.5 fold compared to equivalent suspension cultures of CHO cells. Under each condition the cell specific productivity (Q _P) was determined as units of product/cell per day based upon immunological assays. Cells grown in Cytopore 1 microcarriers showed an increase in Q _P with increasing cell densities up to a threshold of >1 × 10⁸ cells/ml. At this point the specific productivity was 2.5 fold higher than equivalent cells grown in suspension but cell densities above this threshold did not enhance Q _P any further. A positive linear correlation (r ² = 0.93) was determined between the specific productivity of each recombinant protein and the corresponding cell density for CHO cells grown in Cytopore 2 cultures. With a cell density range of 25 × 10⁶ to 3 × 10⁸ cells/ml within the microcarriers there was a proportional increase in the specific productivity. The highest specific productivity measured from the microcarrier cultures was ×5 that of suspension cultures. The relationship between specific productivity and cell density within the microcarriers leads to higher yields of recombinant proteins in this culture system. This could be attributed to the environment within the microcarrier matrix that may influence the state of cells that could affect protein synthesis or secretion.     

A novel xyloglucan-specific endo-β-1,4-glucanase: biochemical properties and inhibition studies

A novel xyloglucan-specific endo-β-1,4-glucanase gene (xeg5A) was isolated, cloned, and expressed in Esherichia coli. The enzyme XEG5A consisted of a C-terminal catalytic domain and N-terminal sequence of ~90 amino acid residues with unknown function. The catalytic domain assumed an (α/β)₈-fold typical of glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 5, with the two catalytic residues Glu240 and Glu362 located on opposite sides of the surface groove of the molecule. The recombinant enzyme showed high specificity towards tamarind xyloglucan and decreasing activity towards xyloglucan oligosaccharide (HDP-XGO), carboxymethyl cellulose, and lichenan. Tamarind xyloglucan was hydrolyzed to three major fragments, XXXG, XXLG/XLXG, and XLLG. The hydrolysis followed the Michaelis–Menten kinetics, yielding K _m and V _max of 3.61 ± 0.23 mg/ml and 0.30 ± 0.01 mg/ml/min, respectively. However, the hydrolysis of HDP-XGO showed a decrease in the rate at high concentrations suggesting appearance of excess substrate inhibition. The addition of XXXG resulted in linear noncompetitive inhibition on the hydrolysis of tamarind xyloglucan giving a K _i of 1.46 ± 0.13 mM. The enzyme was devoid of transglycosylase activities.     

Molecular Design of a Highly Selective and Strong Protein Inhibitor against Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2)

Synthetic inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), designed previously, as well as tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) lack enzyme selectivity, which has been a major obstacle for developing inhibitors into safe and effective MMP-targeted drugs. Here we designed a fusion protein named APP-IP-TIMP-2, in which the ten amino acid residue sequence of APP-derived MMP-2 selective inhibitory peptide (APP-IP) is added to the N terminus of TIMP-2. The APP-IP and TIMP-2 regions of the fusion protein are designed to interact with the active site and the hemopexin-like domain of MMP-2, respectively. The reactive site of the TIMP-2 region, which has broad specificity against MMPs, is blocked by the APP-IP adduct. The recombinant APP-IP-TIMP-2 showed strong inhibitory activity toward MMP-2 (K_i^app = 0.68 pm), whereas its inhibitory activity toward MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-7, MMP-8, MMP-9, or MT1-MMP was six orders of magnitude or more weaker (IC₅₀ > 1 μm). The fusion protein inhibited the activation of pro-MMP-2 in the concanavalin A-stimulated HT1080 cells, degradation of type IV collagen by the cells, and the migration of stimulated cells. Compared with the decapeptide APP-IP (t_½ = 30 min), APP-IP-TIMP-2 (t_½ ≫ 96 h) showed a much longer half-life in cultured tumor cells. Therefore, the fusion protein may be a useful tool to evaluate contributions of proteolytic activity of MMP-2 in various pathophysiological processes. It may also be developed as an effective anti-tumor drug with restricted side effects.     

Type III secretion of EspB in enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7

EspB of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 is one of the type III proteins, categorized as translocators, that are secreted in abundance. To define the secretion determinants, different fragments of EspB were fused in recombinant proteins and the proteins secreted into media analyzed by Western blot. The results indicated that the C-terminal 30 residues of EspB were dispensable for secretion whereas the N-terminal first 117 residues played a major role. However, this N-terminal segment alone was not sufficient to confer the secretion. To acquire basic activity, the EspB fusion protein had to contain the N-terminal segment and another segment consisting of either residues 118–190 or residues 191–282. It is possible that the N-terminal region may act as the primary component of the secretion signal while other determinants help to maintain a conformation of EspB favorable for secretion. However, alternative mechanisms cannot be completely excluded. Not withstanding this, the signal for the type III secretion of EspB is apparently distinct from those previously described for the secretion of effector proteins such as Yops in Yersinia.     

Endothelins stimulate the production of stromelysin-1 in cultured rat astrocytes

The effects of endothelins (ETs) on the production of stromelysins, a sub-family of matrix metalloproteinases, were examined in cultured astrocytes. The treatment of cultured rat astrocytes with ET-1 increased stromelysin-1 mRNA levels, while stromelysin-2 and -3 mRNAs were not affected. Immunocytochemical observations showed that cultured astrocytes produced stromelysin-1 protein. ET-1 and Ala^1,3,11,15-ET-1, an ET_B receptor selective agonist, stimulated the release of stromelysin-1 from cultured astrocytes. Accompanying the increase in protein release, the peptidase activity of stromelysin-1 in the medium was also increased by ET-1. The effects of ET-1 on astrocytic stromelysin-1 expression were inhibited by PD98059, staurosporine, and Ca²⁺ chelation, but not by SB203580 or pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate. These results show that activation of astrocytic ET receptors stimulates the production of stromelysin-1, suggesting a role for ETs in stromelysin production in brain pathologies.     

Metalloproteinase and inhibitor expression profiling of resorbing cartilage reveals pro-collagenase activation as a critical step for collagenolysis

Excess proteolysis of the extracellular matrix (ECM) of articular cartilage is a key characteristic of arthritis. The main enzymes involved belong to the metalloproteinase family, specifically the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and a group of proteinases with a disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain with thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTS). Chondrocytes are the only cell type embedded in the cartilage ECM, and cell-matrix interactions can influence gene expression and cell behaviour. Thus, although the use of monolayer cultures can be informative, it is essential to study chondrocytes encapsulated within their native environment, cartilage, to fully assess cellular responses. The aim of this study was to profile the temporal gene expression of metalloproteinases and their endogenous inhibitors, the tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs), reversion-inducing cysteine-rich protein with Kazal motifs (RECK), and α₂-macroglobulin (α₂M), in actively resorbing cartilage. The addition of the pro-inflammatory cytokine combination of interleukin-1 (IL-1) + oncostatin M (OSM) to bovine nasal cartilage induces the synthesis and subsequent activation of pro-metalloproteinases, leading to cartilage resorption. We show that IL-1+OSM upregulated the expression of MMP-1, -2, -3, -9, 12, -13, -14, TIMP-1, and ADAMTS-4, -5, and -9. Differences in basal expression and the magnitude of induction were observed, whilst there was no significant modulation of TIMP-2, -3, RECK, or ADAMTS-15 gene expression. IL-1+OSM downregulated MMP-16,TIMP-4, and α₂ M expression. All IL-1+OSM-induced metalloproteinases showed marked upregulation early in the culture period, whilst inhibitor expression was reduced throughout the stimulation period such that metalloproteinase production would be in excess of inhibitors. Moreover, although pro-collagenases were upregulated and synthesized early (by day 5), collagenolysis became apparent later with the presence of active collagenases (day 10) when inhibitor levels were low. These findings indicate that the activation cascades for pro-collagenases are delayed relative to collagenase expression, further confirm the coordinated regulation of metalloproteinases in actively resorbing cartilage, and support the use of bovine nasal cartilage as a model system to study the mechanisms that promote cartilage degradation.