Lecticans, also known as
hyalectans, are a family of large chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans found in the extracellular matrix. There are four members of the lectican family:
aggrecan,
brevican,
neurocan, and
versican.
Lecticans interact with
hyaluronic acid and
tenascin-R to form a
ternary complex.
Tissue distribution
Aggrecan and versican are widely distributed throughout all tissues. Where aggrecan is a major extracellular matrix constituent in
cartilage, versican is widely expressed in a number of connective tissues, including those in vascular smooth muscle,
skin, and the cells of central and peripheral
.
Brevican and neurocan are primarily restricted to the central nervous system (CNS)
and are particularly abundant in
.
Structure
All four lecticans contain an
N-terminal globular domain (G1 domain) that in turn contains an immunoglobulin V-set domain and a
Link domain that binds hyaluronic acid; a long extended central domain (CS) that is modified with covalently attached sulfated glycosaminoglycan chains, and a
C-terminal globular domain (G3 domain) containing one or more
EGF-like domain, a
C-type lectin domain and a
CRP domain. Aggrecan has in addition a globular domain (G2 domain) that is situated between the G1 and CS domains.
See also
