Description
Product Characteristics:
The Testican family, also designated the BM-40/SPARC/osteonectin family, is composed of highly conserved, extracellular, calcium-binding, sulfate proteoglycans. Expression of Testicans is detected in a variety of tissues, but is most abundant in brain. Family members include Testican-1, Testican-2, Testican-3 and an amino-terminal splice variant of Testican-3, designated N-Tes. Most Testicans inhibit MT-MMPs, thereby inhibiting the activity of pro-MMP-2. Testican-1 is specifically expressed in the thalamus of the brain, and is upregulated in activated astroglial cells of the cerebrum where it mediates neuronal attachment and matrix metalloproteinase activation. After a neural injury, such as a cerebral stroke, Testican-1 expression is upregulated in astrocyte cells in order to inhibit the ability of the protein Neuro-2a to form neurite extensions. Testican-1 is also a component of joint and of the growth plate cartilage that may participate in the regulation of matrix turnover.
Synonyms: Sparc/osteonectin, cwcv and kazal like domains proteoglycan 1, SPOCK, Testican 1, Testican1, Testican-1, TIC1, TICN1, TICN1_HUMAN.
Target Information: This gene encodes the protein core of a seminal plasma proteoglycan containing chondroitin- and heparan-sulfate chains. The protein's function is unknown, although similarity to thyropin-type cysteine protease-inhibitors suggests its function may be related to protease inhibition. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]