Versican and versikine: The dynamism of the extracellular matrix

Versican is a large chondroitin sulfate/dermatan sulfate proteoglycan in the extracellular matrix and one of the aggrecan/lectican family. Whereas versican is constitutively expressed and serves as a structural macromolecule in some tissues, it is transiently expressed at high levels when the extracellular matrix dynamically changes. There, versican plays an important role in forming the provisional matrix, which is replaced with the “authentic” extracellular matrix, that is, the matrix as it should be. ADAMTS‐1, 4, 5, 9, 15, and 20 cleave versican core protein and are therefore named versicanases. These proteinases have been believed to play a critical role in versican turnover. A cleaved N‐terminal fragment harbors biological functions, and it is termed “versikine.” This review discusses recent advances in the research on the in vivo function of versican and versikine generated by versicanases.