Tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) are a family of proteins that regulate the activation and proteolytic activity of the zinc enzymes known as matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). There are four members of the family, TIMP-1, TIMP-2, TIMP-3 and TIMP-4. TIMP-3 is a glycoprotein with a molecular mass of 30 kDa produced by a wide range of cell types. TIMP-3 inhibits active MMP-mediated proteolysis by forming a non-covalent binary complex with the MMP active site through its N-terminal domain. In addition, TIMP-3 is the only known member of the TIMP family that is an effective inhibitor of ADAMs such as TACE (1).
TIMP-3 is unique among the TIMPs because of its high affinity for binding to the extracellular matrix (2). Point mutations in the TIMP-3 C-terminal domain have been reported to result in Sorsby's fundus dystrophy, a disease leading to macular degeneration and loss of vision.
