For instance, MT1-MMP plays a role in ECM degradation for invasion and metastasis, laminin-5 γ2 chain processing to stimulate cell motility and growth, cleaving chemokines to modulate host immunity, shedding CD44 to promote cell migration, shedding ICAM-1 to mediate trans-endothelial migration, shedding EphA2 to enhance EGF signaling in cancer, and cleaving the N-terminus of HB-EGF to convert it to heparin-independent growth factor, promoting cancer cell growth and motility. Here, CD44 is linked to cancer.