[HTML][HTML] Crystal structure and carbohydrate-binding properties of the human cartilage glycoprotein-39

F Fusetti, T Pijning, KH Kalk, E Bos… - Journal of Biological …, 2003 - ASBMB
The human cartilage glycoprotein-39 (HCgp-39 or YKL40) is expressed by synovial cells
and macrophages during inflammation. Its precise physiological role is unknown. However,
it has been proposed that HCgp-39 acts as an autoantigen in rheumatoid arthritis, and high
expression levels have been associated with cancer development. HCgp-39 shares high
sequence homology with family 18 chitinases, and although it binds to chitin it lacks
enzymatic activity. The crystal structure of HCgp-39 shows that the protein displays a (β/α) 8 …