This gene encodes a member of the ADAMTS (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs) protein family. Members of the family share several distinct protein modules, including a propeptide region, a metalloproteinase domain, a disintegrin-like domain, and a thrombospondin type 1 (TS) motif. Individual members of this family differ in the number of C-terminal TS motifs, and some have unique C-terminal domains. The enzyme encoded by this gene lacks a C-terminal TS motif. It can degrade aggrecan, a major proteoglycan of cartilage, brevican, a brain-specific extracellular matrix protein, neurocan and versican. The cleavage of aggrecan and brevican suggests key roles of this enzyme in arthritic disease and in the central nervous system, potentially, in the progression of glioma.[6]
ADAMTS4 is the shortest known ADAMTS, lacking the C-terminal domain and is the only non-glycosylated ADAMTS.[7] It also only has one thrombospondin type 1 motif (TSR), whereas all the other ADAMTS have two or more TSRs. The TSR is important for binding of the enzyme to the extracellular matrix and hence its substrate specificity. Adjacent to the C-terminal TSR is a disintegrin-like domain, a cysteine-rich region
that stacks against the active-site of the enzyme when in its final folded tertiary structure.[8]
^Bondeson J, Wainwright S, Hughes C, Caterson B (2008). "The regulation of the ADAMTS4 and ADAMTS5 aggrecanases in osteoarthritis: a review". Clin. Exp. Rheumatol. 26 (1): 139–45. PMID18328163.
Tang BL (Jan 2001). "ADAMTS: a novel family of extracellular matrix proteases". The International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology. 33 (1): 33–44. doi:10.1016/S1357-2725(00)00061-3. PMID11167130.
Hirohata S (Nov 2001). "[ADAMTS family--new extracellular matrix degrading enzyme]". Seikagaku. The Journal of Japanese Biochemical Society. 73 (11): 1333–7. PMID11831030.
Tortorella MD, Burn TC, Pratta MA, Abbaszade I, Hollis JM, Liu R, Rosenfeld SA, Copeland RA, Decicco CP, Wynn R, Rockwell A, Yang F, Duke JL, Solomon K, George H, Bruckner R, Nagase H, Itoh Y, Ellis DM, Ross H, Wiswall BH, Murphy K, Hillman MC, Hollis GF, Newton RC, Magolda RL, Trzaskos JM, Arner EC (Jun 1999). "Purification and cloning of aggrecanase-1: a member of the ADAMTS family of proteins". Science. 284 (5420): 1664–6. Bibcode:1999Sci...284.1664T. doi:10.1126/science.284.5420.1664. PMID10356395.
Mizui Y, Yamazaki K, Kuboi Y, Sagane K, Tanaka I (Sep 2000). "Characterization of 5'-flanking region of human aggrecanase-1 (ADAMTS4) gene". Molecular Biology Reports. 27 (3): 167–73. doi:10.1023/A:1007253930568. PMID11254106. S2CID42100328.
