Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF, CCN2) is a matricellular protein of the CCN family. has The extracellular part of CTGF includes four conserved, cysteine-rich domains: the insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP) domain, the von Willebrand type C repeats (vWC) domain, the thrombospondin type 1 repeat (TSR) domain, and a C-terminal domain (CT) with a cysteine knot motif. CTGF has important roles in many biological processes, including cell adhesion, migration, proliferation, angiogenesis, skeletal development, and tissue wound repair. It is thought that CTGF can cooperate with TGF-β1 to induce sustained fibrosis and to exacerbate extracellular matrix production in association other fibrosis-inducing conditions.
Monitoring of CTGF levels in serum provides more detailed insights in several pathological situations such as malignancies, diabetic nephropathy, retinopathy, fibrosis, arthritis, pancreatic cancer and cardiovascular diseases.