This gene encodes a glycosylated transmembrane protein that is cleaved to form a mature, secreted protein. The N-terminus of the precursor protein shares characteristics with other surfactant proteins and is sometimes called chondrosurfactant protein, although no biological activity has yet been defined for it. The C-terminus of the precursor protein contains a 25 kDa mature protein called leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin-1 or chondromodulin-1. The mature protein promotes chondrocyte growth and inhibits angiogenesis. This gene is expressed in the avascular zone of prehypertrophic cartilage, and its expression decreases during chondrocyte hypertrophy and vascular invasion. The mature protein likely plays a role in endochondral bone development by permitting cartilaginous anlagen to be vascularized and replaced by bone. It may also be involved in the broad control of tissue vascularization during development. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants encoding different isoforms.[7]
Chondromodulin-I, an antiangiogenic factor isolated from cartilage, is abundantly expressed in cardiac valves. Gene targeting of chondromodulin-I resulted in enhanced VEGF-A expression, angiogenesis, lipid deposition and calcification in the cardiac valves of aged mice.[8]
^"Human PubMed Reference:". National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
^"Mouse PubMed Reference:". National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
^Shukunami C, Hiraki Y (August 1998). "Expression of cartilage-specific functional matrix chondromodulin-I mRNA in rabbit growth plate chondrocytes and its responsiveness to growth stimuli in vitro". Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 249 (3): 885–90. doi:10.1006/bbrc.1998.9233. PMID9731231.
^Yoshioka M, Yuasa S, Matsumura K, Kimura K, Shiomi T, Kimura N, Shukunami C, Okada Y, Mukai M, Shin H, Yozu R, Sata M, Ogawa S, Hiraki Y, Fukuda K (October 2006). "Chondromodulin-I maintains cardiac valvular function by preventing angiogenesis". Nature Medicine. 12 (10): 1151–9. doi:10.1038/nm1476. PMID16980969. S2CID7704603.
Hiraki Y, Shukunami C (July 2000). "Chondromodulin-I as a novel cartilage-specific growth-modulating factor". Pediatric Nephrology. 14 (7): 602–5. doi:10.1007/s004670000339. PMID10912526. S2CID20707816.
Hayami T, Shukunami C, Mitsui K, Endo N, Tokunaga K, Kondo J, Takahashi HE, Hiraki Y (September 1999). "Specific loss of chondromodulin-I gene expression in chondrosarcoma and the suppression of tumor angiogenesis and growth by its recombinant protein in vivo". FEBS Letters. 458 (3): 436–40. doi:10.1016/S0014-5793(99)01201-6. PMID10570955. S2CID31317770.
