Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) degrade extracellular matrix. They are involved in cellular proliferation, migration, angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis. MT-1 MMP, a membrane-bound MMP, is expressed in carcinomas of the uterine cervix in vivo. This type of cancer is associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Here it was shown that keratinocytes transformed with HPV16 or HPV18 in vitro, and HPV-positive cervical carcinoma cell lines, constitutively expressed MT-1 MMP. Expression of the E7 protein from the mucosal and cutaneous high-risk types HPV16 and HPV8, but not from the cutaneous low-risk type HPV1, was sufficient to induce MT-1 MMP expression in primary human keratinocytes and HaCaT cells. As a consequence, MMP-2 was activated. MT-1 MMP expression might play a role in the HPV life cycle by promoting proliferation of host cells and might contribute to their invasive phenotype during malignant progression.