Aggrecan monoclonal antibody to C-terminal neoepitope NITEGE (mouse, clone BC-13). This aggrecan degradation product usually remains within the tissue still complexed to hyaluronan and link protein. Its release from the cartilage usually signals that there has been extensive catabolism of aggrecan, which allows large complexes containing this metabolite to be released from the tissue.

Aggrecan is a member of a family of large, aggregating proteoglycans (also including versican, brevican and neurocan) which is found in articular cartilage. Aggrecan is composed of three major domains: G1, G2, and G3.

Between the G1 and G2 domains there is an interglobulin region (IGD). The IGD region is the major site of cleavage by specific proteases like metalloproteinases (MMPs) and aggrecanase. Aggrecan cleavage has been associated with a number of degenerative diseases including rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. There is evidence that this family of proteoglycans modulates cell adhesion, migration, and axonal outgrowth in the CNS. 

References/Citations:

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Collins, A.T., Hu, G., Newman, H. et al. Obesity alters the collagen organization and mechanical properties of murine cartilage. Sci Rep 11, 1626 (2021).

Ashinsky, B. G., Gullbrand, S. E., Bonnevie, E. D., Mandalapu, S. A., Wang, C., Elliott, D. M., ... & Smith, H. E. (2019). Multiscale and multimodal structure–function analysis of intervertebral disc degeneration in a rabbit model. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 27(12), 1860-1869.