ENTACTIN
entactin: translation
(= nidogen)
A dumbbell shaped 150 kD sulphated glycoprotein that is found in all basement membranes. It binds to laminin, forming a very stable 1:1 complex (KD = 10nM) and almost all laminin preparations contain entactin. The N-terminal globular domain can self-aggregate, whilst the C-terminal globular domain binds to the short arm of laminin and to collagen IV. The connecting rod has 5-6 EGF-like domains of cysteine-rich repeats, one of which has an RGD sequence for cellular interaction.