MMP-2 is a novel histone H3 N-terminal protease necessary for myogenic gene activation.

"Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participateNot applicable. Consent for publicationNot applicable. Competing interestsThe authors declare that they have no competing interests. Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests."

"Funding Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institutes of Health under award numbers R21AR074649 (J.C.R. and B.D.D.), R35HL135747 (Z.B.) and R01AR073233 (W.A.). Z.B. is the Ralph Edgington Chair in Medicine and is funded by the Hastings Foundation. R.A. was supported by the USC Early Investigator High School (EiHS) Stem Cell Research Program. The project was supported, in part, by an NCI Cancer Center Support Grant P30CA014089 to the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health."