Aggrecan [SEP] found in taxon
Aggrecan
Aggrecan (ACAN), also known as cartilage-specific proteoglycan core protein (CSPCP) or chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan 1, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the "ACAN" gene. This gene is a member of the lectican (chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan) family. The encoded protein is an integral part of the extracellular matrix in cartilagenous tissue and it withstands compression in cartilage.
Aggrecan is a proteoglycan, or a protein modified with large carbohydrates; the human form of the protein is 2316 amino acids
, aggrecan, phosphacan, hyaluronan, tenascin-R and various link proteins. The CSPGs aggrecan, versican, neurocan, brevican, and phosphacan are bound to hyaluronan. Many of the components of PNNs are also expressed other forms of ECM in the brain. Aggrecan is selectively expressed in PNNs and is essential for the construction and maintenance of PNNs. PNNs found in both the brain and the spinal cord have the same composition. Chondroitinase ABC (ChABC), a bacterial enzyme routinely used to digest CSPGs, works by catalyzing the