MMP2 and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: In IPF lungs (Figure 4E), MMP-2 antigen signal was dot-like in pattern, localized mostly to alveolar and luminal cells and co-localized with gelatinolytic activity in the interstitial space and in hyperplastic epithelia, underscoring the contribution of MMP-2 to the matrix remodeling process in hyperplastic epithelia.