MMP14 and malignant colon neoplasm: To determine the relationship between p53 and MMP-14 expression, we first surveyed a genetically engineered strain of the human colon cancer cell line HCT-116 in which the p53 gene was permanently knocked out (HCT-116 p53−/−), and compared the results with wild-type HCT-116 (HCT-116 p53+/+) cells.