FMOD

Fibromodulin belongs to the family of small interstitial proteoglycans. The encoded protein possesses a central region containing leucine-rich repeats with 4 keratan sulfate chains, flanked by terminal domains containing disulphide bonds. Owing to the interaction with type I and type II collagen fibrils and in vitro inhibition of fibrillogenesis, the encoded protein may play a role in the assembly of extracellular matrix. It may also regulate TGF-beta activities by sequestering TGF-beta into the extracellular matrix. Sequence variations in this gene may be associated with the pathogenesis of high myopia. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants.