Activation of Toll-like Receptor-2 by Endogenous Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 Modulates Dendritic-Cell-Mediated Inflammatory Responses

Abstract

Summary: Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) is involved in several physiological mechanisms, including wound healing and tumor progression. We show that MMP-2 directly stimulates dendritic cells (DCs) to both upregulate OX40L on the cell surface and secrete inflammatory cytokines. The mechanism underlying DC activation includes physical association with Toll-like receptor-2 (TLR2), leading to NF-κB activation, OX40L upregulation on DCs, and ensuing TH2 differentiation. Significantly, MMP-2 polarizes T cells toward type 2 responses in vivo, in a TLR2-dependent manner. MMP-2-dependent type 2 polarization may represent a key immune regulatory mechanism for protection against a broad array of disorders, such as inflammatory, infectious, and autoimmune diseases, which can be hijacked by tumors to evade immunity. : Godefroy et al. now demonstrate that matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) directly interacts with and activates dendritic cells (DCs) via Toll-like receptor-2. MMP-2-exposed DCs upregulate OX40L, promoting type 2 polarization both in vitro and in vivo. This may represent a key immune regulatory mechanism involved in a variety of inflammatory disorders.