Cloning of a novel membrane-linked metalloproteinase from human myeloma cells

We have isolated a novel cDNA from human myeloma cells encoding a member of the reprolysin family of metalloproteinases. Derived amino acid sequence predicts a protein of approx. 76 kDa. The open reading frame predicts the presence of a leader peptide, a pro-peptide with a ‘cysteine switch’, a metalloproteinase domain, a disintegrin-like domain, a cysteine-rich domain, an epidermal growth factor-like domain and a putative transmembrane sequence. Expression of the mRNA for this metalloproteinase has been demonstrated in human myeloma cells.