Description
Product Characteristics:
Appears to regulate cell growth through interactions with the extracellular matrix and cytokines. Binds calcium and copper, several types of collagen, albumin, thrombospondin, PDGF and cell membranes. There are two calcium binding sites, an acidic domain that binds 5 to 8 Ca(2+) with a low affinity and an EF-hand loop that binds a Ca(2+) ion with a high affinity.
Subcellular location: Secreted, Cell membrane, Extracellular matrix
Synonyms: ON, SPARC, Basement-membrane protein 4, BM-4, Osteonectin, Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine
Target Information: This gene encodes a cysteine-rich acidic matrix-associated protein. The encoded protein is required for the collagen in bone to become calcified but is also involved in extracellular matrix synthesis and promotion of changes to cell shape. The gene product has been associated with tumor suppression but has also been correlated with metastasis based on changes to cell shape which can promote tumor cell invasion. [provided by RefSeq, Dec 2011]