SPARC related modular calcium binding 1
Last updated 26 Sept 2025
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The SMOC1 gene provides instructions for making a protein called secreted modular calcium-binding protein 1 (SMOC-1). This protein is found in basement membranes, which are thin, sheet-like structures that support cells in many tissues and help anchor cells to one another during embryonic development. The SMOC-1 protein attaches (binds) to many different proteins and is thought to regulate molecules called growth factors that stimulate the growth and development of tissues throughout the body. These growth factors play important roles in skeletal formation, normal shaping (patterning) of the limbs, as well as eye formation and development. The SMOC-1 protein also likely promotes the maturation (differentiation) of cells that build bones, called osteoblasts.
Normal function
The SMOC1 gene provides instructions for making a protein called secreted modular calcium-binding protein 1 (SMOC-1). This protein is found in basement membranes, which are thin, sheet-like structures that support cells in many tissues and help anchor cells to one another during embryonic development. The SMOC-1 protein attaches (binds) to many different proteins and is thought to regulate molecules called growth factors that stimulate the growth and development of tissues throughout the body. These growth factors play important roles in skeletal formation, normal shaping (patterning) of the limbs, as well as eye formation and development. The SMOC-1 protein also likely promotes the maturation (differentiation) of cells that build bones, called osteoblasts.
Conditions referring to this gene or chromosome
Other names
secreted modular calcium-binding protein 1
SMOC1_HUMAN
SPARC-related modular calcium-binding protein 1
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Further reading and references
- SPARC related modular calcium binding 1; MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine.
- Abouzeid H, Boisset G, Favez T, Youssef M, Marzouk I, Shakankiry N, Bayoumi N, Descombes P, Agosti C, Munier FL, Schorderet DF. Mutations in the SPARC-related modular calcium-binding protein 1 gene, SMOC1, cause waardenburg anophthalmia syndrome. Am J Hum Genet. 2011 Jan 7;88(1):92-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2010.12.002. Epub 2010 Dec 30.
- Choi YA, Lim J, Kim KM, Acharya B, Cho JY, Bae YC, Shin HI, Kim SY, Park EK. Secretome analysis of human BMSCs and identification of SMOC1 as an important ECM protein in osteoblast differentiation. J Proteome Res. 2010 Jun 4;9(6):2946-56. doi: 10.1021/pr901110q.
- Klemencic M, Novinec M, Maier S, Hartmann U, Lenarcic B. The heparin-binding activity of secreted modular calcium-binding protein 1 (SMOC-1) modulates its cell adhesion properties. PLoS One. 2013;8(2):e56839. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0056839. Epub 2013 Feb 21.
- Okada I, Hamanoue H, Terada K, Tohma T, Megarbane A, Chouery E, Abou-Ghoch J, Jalkh N, Cogulu O, Ozkinay F, Horie K, Takeda J, Furuichi T, Ikegawa S, Nishiyama K, Miyatake S, Nishimura A, Mizuguchi T, Niikawa N, Hirahara F, Kaname T, Yoshiura K, Tsurusaki Y, Doi H, Miyake N, Furukawa T, Matsumoto N, Saitsu H. SMOC1 is essential for ocular and limb development in humans and mice. Am J Hum Genet. 2011 Jan 7;88(1):30-41. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2010.11.012. Epub 2010 Dec 30.
- Rainger J, van Beusekom E, Ramsay JK, McKie L, Al-Gazali L, Pallotta R, Saponari A, Branney P, Fisher M, Morrison H, Bicknell L, Gautier P, Perry P, Sokhi K, Sexton D, Bardakjian TM, Schneider AS, Elcioglu N, Ozkinay F, Koenig R, Megarbane A, Semerci CN, Khan A, Zafar S, Hennekam R, Sousa SB, Ramos L, Garavelli L, Furga AS, Wischmeijer A, Jackson IJ, Gillessen-Kaesbach G, Brunner HG, Wieczorek D, van Bokhoven H, Fitzpatrick DR. Loss of the BMP antagonist, SMOC-1, causes Ophthalmo-acromelic (Waardenburg Anophthalmia) syndrome in humans and mice. PLoS Genet. 2011 Jul;7(7):e1002114. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1002114. Epub 2011 Jul 7.
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