Department of Paediatric Laboratory Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada,
J Cell Commun Signal. 2007 Dec;1(3-4):159-64. doi: 10.1007/s12079-008-0022-6. Epub 2008 Jun 21.
The CCN family of genes currently comprises six secreted proteins (designated CCN1-6 after Cyr61/CCN1; ctgf/CCN2; Nov/CCN3; WISP1/CCN4; WISP2/CCN5, WISP3/CCN6) with a similar mosaic primary structure. It is now well accepted that CCN proteins are not growth factors but matricellular proteins that modify signaling of other molecules, in particular those associated with the extracellular matrix. CCN proteins are involved in mitosis, adhesion, apoptosis, extracellular matrix production, growth arrest and migration of multiple cell types. Since their first identification as matricellular factors, the CCN proteins now figure prominently in a variety of major diseases and are now considered valid candidates for therapeutic targeting. Dissection of the molecular mechanisms governing the biological properties of these proteins is being actively pursued by an expanding network of scientists around the globe who will meet this year at the 5th International Workshop on the CCN family of Genes, organized by the International CCN Society ( http://ccnsociety.com ), home for an international cadre of collaborators working in the CCN field.
CCN 家族的基因目前包括六个分泌蛋白（命名为 Cyr61/CCN1 后的 CCN1-6；ctgf/CCN2；Nov/CCN3；WISP1/CCN4；WISP2/CCN5，WISP3/CCN6），它们具有相似的镶嵌一级结构。现在人们普遍认为 CCN 蛋白不是生长因子，而是基质细胞蛋白，可修饰其他分子，特别是与细胞外基质相关的分子的信号。CCN 蛋白参与多种细胞类型的有丝分裂、黏附、凋亡、细胞外基质生成、生长停滞和迁移。自首次被鉴定为基质细胞因子以来，CCN 蛋白现在在多种主要疾病中占据重要地位，并且现在被认为是治疗靶点的有效候选物。全球范围内越来越多的科学家正在积极探索这些蛋白的生物学特性的分子机制，他们将在今年举行的第 5 届 CCN 家族基因国际研讨会上相聚，该研讨会由国际 CCN 学会（http://ccnsociety.com）组织，该学会是从事 CCN 领域合作的国际团队的家园。
