The large chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan, aggrecan, is the predominant proteoglycan present in cartilage. Aggrecan is a member of the chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan family, which also includes versican/PG-M, neurocan and brevican. Aggrecan is a complex multidomain macromolecule that undergoes extensive processing and post-translational modification. Aggrecan in cartilage forms aggregates with hyaluronan and link protein, embedded in a collagen network. Aggrecan accounts for the compressive stiffness and resilience of the hyaline cartilage. Many forms of inflammatory arthritis are shown to be accompanied with aggrecan degradation and loss from the cartilage. Brevican is a brain proteoglycan of the aggrecan/versican/neurocan family. In the adult brain, the brevican core protein undergoes proteolytic cleavage and exists as a full-length form a carboxy-terminal fragment and an amino-terminal fragment.
