Advance Access publication August 28, 2007 Matrix Metalloproteinase-13 Is Required for Zebra fish (Danio rerio) Development and Is a Target for Glucocorticoids

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are endopeptidases that degrade the proteins of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Expres-sion and activity of the MMPs are essential for embryogenesis, where MMPs participate in the normal ECM remodeling that occurs during tissue morphogenesis and development. Studies have demonstrated that MMP gene expression is inhibited by glucocorticoids in mammalian cell culture systems and that exposure to glucocorticoids causes developmental abnormalities in several species. Therefore, we proposed that glucocorticoids impede normal development through alteration of MMP expres-sion. Zebra fish (Danio rerio) were used as a model to study MMP-13 expression both during normal embryogenesis and following acute exposure to two glucocorticoids, dexamethasone, and hydro-cortisone. MMP-13 is one of three collagenases identified in vertebrates that catalyzes the degradation of type I collagens a