Chondromodulin-I: A Growth-Modulating FunctionalMatrix in Cartilage

Cartilaginous extracellular matrix (ECM) is a unique assembly of macromolecules such as type II collagenand proteoglycans. In association with a number of accessory molecules, it confers special biological functionson cartilage. Among these various accessory molecules, growth-modulating functions ha...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Inflammation and Regeneration 2009, Vol.29 (5), p.317-323
Main Authors: Yuji Hiraki, Shigenori Miura, Yuriko Nishizaki, Chisa Shukunami
Format: Article
Language:Japanese
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Summary:Cartilaginous extracellular matrix (ECM) is a unique assembly of macromolecules such as type II collagenand proteoglycans. In association with a number of accessory molecules, it confers special biological functionson cartilage. Among these various accessory molecules, growth-modulating functions have been identifiedonly in several instances, and in many cases functional properties therefore remain to be elucidated.Chondromodulin-I (ChM-I) is a 25-kDa glycoprotein, which was initially identified in our laboratory as a cartilage-specific functional matrix component that stimulates the growth and matrix synthesis of primary chondrocytesin vitro. We subsequently purified an endothelial cell growth inhibitor from guanidinium extracts of fetal bovinecartilage, which was surprisingly found to be identical to ChM-I. Purified ChM-I was found to inhibit the proliferationof vascular endothelial cells as well as tube morphogenesis in vitro. The generation of a ChM-I nullmouse has enabled us to examine the functional roles of this unique ECM component in vivo. In this review, wedescribe the identification and biological characterization of ChM-I as an example of a growth-modulatingfunctional matrix in cartilage.
ISSN:1880-9693