The link domain [ PUBMED:8318021 ] is a hyaluronan(HA)-binding region found in proteins of vertebrates that are involved in the assembly of extracellular matrix, cell adhesion, and migration. The structure has been shown [ PUBMED:8797823 ] to … expand

The link domain [ PUBMED:8318021 ] is a hyaluronan(HA)-binding region found in proteins of vertebrates that are involved in the assembly of extracellular matrix, cell adhesion, and migration. The structure has been shown [ PUBMED:8797823 ] to consist of two α helices and two antiparallel β sheets arranged around a large hydrophobic core similar to that of C-type lectin. This domain contains four conserved cysteines involved in two disulphide bonds. The link domain has also been termed HABM [ PUBMED:8318021 ] (HA binding module) and PTR [ PUBMED:8690089 ] (proteoglycan tandem repeat). Proteins with such a domain include the proteoglycans aggrecan, brevican, neurocan and versican, which are expressed in the CNS; the cartilage link protein (LP), a proteoglycan that together with HA and aggrecan forms multimolecular aggregates; Tumour necrosis factor-inducible protein TSG-6, which may be involved in cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions during inflammation and tumourgenesis; and CD44 antigen, the main cell surface receptor for HA.