Connective Tissue Growth Factor (CTGF)
Growth Factors

DEFINITION

A short protein description with the molecular wheight, isoforms, etc...
Use, when available, the link to Wikipedia (Es Trypsin)

External links not available on Wikipedia have to be added here

THE GENE

Database	Link
Wikigenes	ACADM
GeneCards	"URL":
Your Favorite Gene Sigma	"URL":

Wikigenes includes links to

• NCBI Gene
• NCBI SNP
• iHOP resource
• OMIM
• SNPedia
• UniProt
• Ensembl
• HGNC

CHEMICAL STRUCTURE AND IMAGES

When relevant for the function

• Primary structure
• Secondary structure
• Tertiary structure
  • PDB
• Quaternary structure

Protein Aminoacids Percentage
The Protein Aminoacids Percentage gives useful information on the local environment and the metabolic status of the cell (starvation, lack of essential AA, hypoxia)

Protein Aminoacids Percentage (Width 700 px)

SYNTHESIS AND TURNOVER

mRNA synthesis

protein synthesis

post-translational modifications
degradation

CELLULAR FUNCTIONS

cellular localization,
biological function

• Enzymes

Database	Link
BRENDA - The Comprehensive Enzyme Information System	"URL":
KEGG Pathways	"URL":
Human Metabolome Database	"URL":

• Cell signaling and Ligand transport
• Structural proteins

REGULATION

DIAGNOSTIC USE

Am J Transplant. 2010 Feb;10(2):220-30. Epub 2009 Sep 25.
Connective tissue growth factor promotes fibrosis downstream of TGFbeta and IL-6 in chronic cardiac allograft rejection., 2010
Booth AJ, Csencsits-Smith K, Wood SC, Lu G, Lipson KE, Bishop DK.
Source
Graduate Program in Immunology, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Abstract
Cardiac transplantation is an effective treatment for multiple types of heart failure refractive to therapy. Although immunosuppressive therapeutics have increased survival rates within the first year posttransplant, chronic rejection (CR) remains a significant barrier to long-term graft survival. Indicators of CR include patchy interstitial fibrosis, vascular occlusion and progressive loss of graft function. Multiple factors have been implicated in the onset and progression of CR, including TGFbeta, IL-6 and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF). While associated with CR, the role of CTGF in CR and the factors necessary for CTGF induction in vivo are not understood. To this end, we utilized forced expression and neutralizing antibody approaches. Transduction of allografts with CTGF significantly increased fibrotic tissue development, though not to levels observed with TGFbeta transduction. Further, intragraft CTGF expression was inhibited by IL-6 neutralization whereas TGFbeta expression remained unchanged, indicating that IL-6 effects may potentiate TGFbeta-mediated induction of CTGF. Finally, neutralizing CTGF significantly reduced graft fibrosis without reducing TGFbeta and IL-6 expression levels. These findings indicate that CTGF functions as a downstream mediator of fibrosis in CR, and that CTGF neutralization may ameliorate fibrosis and hypertrophy associated with CR.