ECM1 (E3B9A) Rabbit mAb #83458

Extracellular matrix gene 1 (ECM1) is a secreted glycoprotein found primarily in the extracellular matrix. It acts as both a multifunctional binding core and as a scaffolding protein that interacts with a variety of extracellular and structural proteins, including perlecan, fibulin-1C/1D, and MMP-9. (1). Research studies have shown that ECM1 is involved in the maintenance of tissue integrity and homeostasis, T cell immune responses, and angiogenesis (2-5). Its importance in maintaining tissue integrity is demonstrated by reports showing that mutations in the gene encoding ECM1 lead to skin lipoid proteinosis (1). Notably, ECM1 expression is upregulated in a variety of cancers, and during metastasis, suggesting a role for ECM1 in promoting tumor cell proliferation and invasion (6). In this context, research studies have shown that ECM1 can activate various signaling pathways, such as integrin/FAK, MMP-9/galectin-3, and S100A4/RhoA (7-9). In hepatic tissues, it was furthermore shown that ECM1 contributes to maintaining the latency of TGF-β in the extracellular matrix, thereby preventing spontaneous TGF-β activation and liver fibrosis (10,11).