This gene encodes a secreted protein which is mainly expressed in the endothelial cells in human lung and kidney tissues. The expression of this gene is regulated by cytokines, suggesting that it may play a role in endothelium-dependent pathological disorders. The transcript contains multiple polyadenylation and mRNA instability signals.[6]
The ESM-1 gene product is also called endocan since 2001, when it was characterized as a dermatan sulfate proteoglycan by Bechard et al. Recently, endocan / ESM-1 has been described as a specific biomarker of tip cells during neoangiogenesis by independent teams. Endocan expression has been shown to be increase in presence of pro-angiogenic growth factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) or fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2). In hypervascularized cancers, overexpression of endocan has been detected by immunohistochemistry using monoclonal antibodies against endocan / ESM-1.
Bechard D, Meignin V, Scherpereel A, et al. (2000). "Characterization of the secreted form of endothelial-cell-specific molecule 1 by specific monoclonal antibodies". J. Vasc. Res. 37 (5): 417–25. doi:10.1159/000025758. PMID11025405. S2CID22931177.
Aitkenhead M, Wang SJ, Nakatsu MN, et al. (2002). "Identification of endothelial cell genes expressed in an in vitro model of angiogenesis: induction of ESM-1, (beta)ig-h3, and NrCAM". Microvascular Research. 63 (2): 159–71. doi:10.1006/mvre.2001.2380. PMID11866539.
Tsai JC, Zhang J, Minami T, et al. (2002). "Cloning and characterization of the human lung endothelial-cell-specific molecule-1 promoter". J. Vasc. Res. 39 (2): 148–59. doi:10.1159/000057763. PMID12011586. S2CID40049627.
Cong R, Jiang X, Wilson CM, et al. (2006). "Hhex is a direct repressor of endothelial cell-specific molecule 1 (ESM-1)". Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 346 (2): 535–45. doi:10.1016/j.bbrc.2006.05.153. PMID16764824.
Rennel E, Mellberg S, Dimberg A, et al. (2007). "Endocan is a VEGF-A and PI3K regulated gene with increased expression in human renal cancer". Exp. Cell Res. 313 (7): 1285–94. doi:10.1016/j.yexcr.2007.01.021. PMID17362927.