Fibronectin

Fibronectin is an extracellular matrix glycoprotein present on most cell surfaces, in extracellular fluids and in plasma. A high molecular weight heterodimeric protein, it was originally discovered as a protein missing from the surfaces of virus-transformed cells, and it has been shown to be involved in various functions including cell adhesion, cell motility and wound healing. Alternative splicing and glycosylation give rise to several different forms of Fibronectin, some of which exhibit restricted tissue distribution or association with malignancies. It has been shown that Myofibroblast phenotype formation correlates with the occurrence of glycosylated Fibronectin and Fibronectin splice variants in Dupuytren’s disease.