Fibronectin is a multi-domain glycoprotein, found in a soluble form in plasma, and in an insoluble form in loose connective tissue and basement membranes, that binds cell surfaces and various compounds including collagen, fibrin, heparin, DNA, and actin. Fibronectins are involved in a number of important functions e.g., wound healing; cell adhesion; blood coagulation; cell differentiation and … expand

Fibronectin is a multi-domain glycoprotein, found in a soluble form in plasma, and in an insoluble form in loose connective tissue and basement membranes, that binds cell surfaces and various compounds including collagen, fibrin, heparin, DNA, and actin. Fibronectins are involved in a number of important functions e.g., wound healing; cell adhesion; blood coagulation; cell differentiation and migration; maintenance of the cellular cytoskeleton; and tumour metastasis [ PUBMED:3031656 ].

The major part of the sequence of fibronectin consists of the repetition of three types of domains, which are called type I, II, and III (also called FN1, FN2 and FN3 respectively)[ PUBMED:3780752 ]. In fibronectin the type II domain is duplicated. Type II domain is approximately forty residues long, contains four conserved cysteines involved in disulphide bonds and is part of the collagen-binding region of fibronectin. Type II domains have also been found in a range of proteins including blood coagulation factor XII; bovine seminal plasma proteins PDC-109 (BSP-A1/A2) and BSP-A3 [ PUBMED:3606570 ]; cation-independent mannose-6-phosphate receptor [ PUBMED:1323236 ]; mannose receptor of macrophages [ PUBMED:2373685 ]; 180 Kd secretory phospholipase A2 receptor [ PUBMED:8294398 ]. DEC-205 receptor [ PUBMED:7753172 ]; 72 Kd and 92 Kd type IV collagenase ( EC:3.4.24.24 ) [ PUBMED:2834383 ]; and hepatocyte growth factor activator [ PUBMED:7683665 ].