ADAMTS-15, -16, -17, -18 AND -19

摘要

Searching for novel proteins belonging to the ADAMs family involving multifunctional proteins having two functions of adhesion and decomposition of extracellular proteins and clarifying the properties of these proteins are useful in studying various physiological and biological phenomena such as immune response, angiogenesis, coagulation, wound healing, regeneration process, embryo implantation, fetal development, infiltration of cancer cells, metastasis, process in rheumatism or heart vessels and hematological and nerve degeneration processes, and in disclosing normal or pathological processes. Using a molecular cloning method based on homology, novel genes identified as ADAMST-15, -16, -17, -18 and -19 and nucleic acids encoding the same are obtained. These proteins can be assayed by using gene modification techniques, etc. and means of clarifying the physiological and biological activities are available and applicable to, for example, diagnosis of physiological phenomena caused by these proteins and diseases relating thereto, clarification of causes thereof and prediction of the same.