LeClair Renée, Lindner Volkhard
Center for Molecular Medicine, Maine Medical Center Research Institute, Scarborough, ME 04074, USA.
Trends Cardiovasc Med. 2007 Aug;17(6):202-5. doi: 10.1016/j.tcm.2007.05.004.
Collagen triple helix repeat containing protein 1 (Cthrc1) is a gene product with novel biochemical activities, and its ability to reduce collagen deposition by inhibition of Smad2/3 activation could have major clinical applications in the fields of vascular disease, repair, and fibrosis. Currently available data indicate that Cthrc1 expression in vascular cells regulates transforming growth factor beta responsiveness, thereby impacting transforming growth factor beta target genes, including collagens; and regulation or activation of Cthrc1 is strictly controlled in these cells. Determining Cthrc1 activation (or inactivation) and addressing the interaction with known signaling pathways are important aspects aimed at developing this work toward clinically relevant applications.
含胶原蛋白三螺旋重复序列蛋白1（Cthrc1）是一种具有新型生化活性的基因产物，其通过抑制Smad2/3激活来减少胶原蛋白沉积的能力可能在血管疾病、修复和纤维化领域具有重要的临床应用价值。现有数据表明，血管细胞中Cthrc1的表达调节转化生长因子β的反应性，从而影响包括胶原蛋白在内的转化生长因子β靶基因；并且在这些细胞中，Cthrc1的调节或激活受到严格控制。确定Cthrc1的激活（或失活）以及研究其与已知信号通路的相互作用是将这项工作发展为临床相关应用的重要方面。
