Fibulin 5/DANCE: Products

Fibulin 5, also known as DANCE and EVEC, is a secreted matricellular glycoprotein that is expressed by smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells of the developing vasculature as well as by migrating neural crest cells and lung interstitial fibroblasts. It is downregulated in the adult vasculature but is re-expressed at aortic branching points, in the uterus, and at sites of mechanical or atherosclerotic injury. Fibulin 5 anchors cells to the extracellular matrix, promotes elastic fiber assembly and maturation, and functions as an angiogenesis inhibitor. It can function either as a tumor suppressor or enhancer of tumor cell invasiveness. Defects in Fibulin 5 expression or function can result in a loss of connective tissue integrity, cardiac elasticity, and ability to remodel the vasculature after injury.