Detection of Matrix Metalloproteinase Activity by Bioluminescence via Intein-Mediated Biotinylation of Luciferase
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 13, 2026

Detection of Functional Matrix Metalloproteinases by Zymography
Published on: November 8, 2010
Duc Long Nguyen1,2, Hanim Kim3, Dasom Kim4
1Department of Life Science, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Korea. quyle.dongphuong@gmail.com.
Abstract:
We report bioluminescence analysis of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity in biological substances using a surface-bound luciferase probe. Intein-fused luciferase protein enables site-specific biotinylation of luciferase in the presence of N-terminus cysteine-biotin via intein-mediated splicing process, resulting in a strong association with high bioluminescence signal onto a NeutrAvidin-coated surface. When the peptide substrate for MMP-7 was inserted into a region between luciferase and intein, the biotinylated probe detected MMP-7 activity by cleaving the peptide, and surface-induced bioluminescence signal was strongly reduced in the MMP-secreted media or mouse tissue extracts, compared with that in MMP-deficient control set. Our approach is anticipated to be useful for generating biotinylated proteins and for their applications in diagnosing MMP activity in human diseases.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
The Extracellular Matrix
The Extracellular Matrix
In order to maintain tissue organization, many animal cells are surrounded by structural molecules that make up the extracellular matrix (ECM). Together, the molecules in the ECM maintain the structural integrity of tissue as well as the remarkable specific properties of certain tissues.
Composition of the Extracellular Matrix
The extracellular matrix (ECM) is commonly composed of ground substance, a gel-like fluid, fibrous components, and many structurally and functionally diverse...
Receptor-mediated Endocytosis
Nonsense-mediated mRNA Decay
Usually, Upf3 binds to an Exon Junction Complex (EJC) at mRNA splice sites. If a ribosome fully translates the mRNA,...
Extracellular Matrix
The Bone Matrix

