In animal trials, researchers have demonstrated that a protein called collagenase-2 plays a role in the development of multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that causes various physical and mental symptoms, and often progresses to physical and cognitive disability. This discovery represents a potential new way to combat this debilitating disease.

Collagenase-2 is a member of a protein family called matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs, collagenase-2 is MMP8), a large group of enzymes that break down collagen and other components of the body's connective tissue. MMPs have been implicated in contributing to MS by degrading the tissue that maintains the blood-brain barrier, thus allowing unwanted cells to invade and break down nerves. In fact, MMPs are found in elevated amounts in the blood and spinal fluid of diseased individuals.

Using a mouse model of MS, Carlos Lopez-Otin and colleagues performed two analyses on MMP8 to determine how relevant this protein is to the disease. First, they developed mutant mice deficient in the gene for MMP8 and found that these mice had a fewer invading cells in the brain, fewer damaged nerves, and a general improvement in their clinical profile.

The study has been published in the March 28 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

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