CTGF Adenovirus

The CCN (CTGF/Cyr61/NOV) family of genes presently consists of six distinct members, which encode proteins that participate in fundamental biological processes such as cell proliferation, adhesion, migration, differentiation, wound healing, angiogenesis, and several pathologies including fibrosis and tumorigenesis. Whereas Cyr61 and CTGF act as positive regulators of cell growth, nov (nephroblastoma overexpressed) provides the first example of a CCN protein with negative regulatory properties and the first example of aberrant expression being associated with tumor development. The subsequent discovery of the WISP proteins has broadened the variety of functions attributed to the CCN family of proteins and has impacted previous observations relating to these protein in other biological setting.