Primary structure of matrilin-3, a new member of a family of extracellular matrix proteins related to cartilage matrix protein (matrilin-1) and von Willebrand factor

A mouse cDNA encoding for matrilin-3, the third member of the novel matrilin family of extracellular matrix proteins, was cloned, The protein precursor of 481 amino acids consists of a putative signal peptide, a short positively charged sequence, a single vWFA-like domain followed by four epidermal growth factor-like modules and a potential coiled-coil alpha-helical oligomerization domain at the C-terminus, It is the smallest member of the matrilin family with a predicted M-r of the mature protein of 48902, The primary structure of a C-terminal portion of 310 amino acids of the human matrilin-3 was determined and showed a sequence identity to the mouse matrilin-3 of 84.8%, Northern blot hybridization of mouse matrilin-3 mRNA showed a 2.9 kb mRNA expressed in sternum, femur and trachea and indicates a cartilage-specific expression. (C) 1997 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.