Matrilins family and cartilage diseases

Matrilins are cartilage abandon molecules which are a 4 member of family of non-collagen filamentous network proteins. In cartilage, extracellular matrix (ECM) occupied 95% space which determines the histoarchitecture specific to organ plays dominant role in chondrocyte functions. Matrilins can form collagen dependent and collagen independent filamentous network in extracellular matrix which involved cell-matrix and matrix-matrix communication, and provide cells with crucial information on migration, adhesion, differentiation, matrix homeostasis, and endoplasmic reticulum stress, etc. Although the matrilins gene-deficient mice show no gross abnormalities during embryonic or adult development with normal lifespan, there were several osteochondrodysplasias and degenerative joint diseases are related the point mutations of matrilins, especially matrilin-3. In this article, we reviewed most recently work on the family of matrilin and cartilage diseases.