Papilin, a novel component of basement membranes, in relation to ADAMTS metalloproteases and ECM development.
Papilins are homologous, secreted extracellular matrix proteins which share a common order of protein domains. They occur widely, from nematodes to man, and can differ in the number of repeats of a given type of domain. Within one species the number of repeats can vary by differential RNA splicing. A distinctly conserved cassette of domains at the amino-end of papilins is homologous with a cassette of protein domains at the carboxyl-end of the ADAMTS subgroup of secreted, matrix-associated metalloproteases. Papilins primarily occur in basement membranes. Papilins interact with several extracellular matrix components and ADAMTS enzymes. Papilins are essential for embryonic development of Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans.