Abstract
I herein report the general structures and functions of CCN proteins and possible molecular mechanisms involved in the unique biological actions of this family of intercellular signaling regulators, which are considered matricellular proteins and were once referred to as “signal conductors” but have recently been renamed “Cellular Communication Network Factors.” Their repertoire of functions beyond their role as matricellular proteins is also described to aid in future studies. Advanced research concerning their relevance to pathology is briefly introduced as well. The information provided in this chapter is expected to be useful for readers of subsequent chapters.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the programs JSPS KAKENHI Grants-in-aid for Scientific Research (B) No. #JP19H03817 and Challenging Research (Pioneering) #JP20K20611 from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Sciences, Japan.
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Takigawa, M. (2023). CCN Proteins (Cellular Communication Network Factors): Expanding Their Repertoire Toward a New Concept. In: Takigawa, M. (eds) CCN Proteins. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 2582. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2744-0_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2744-0_1
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