Figure 5
From: The role of aggrecan in normal and osteoarthritic cartilage
Age-related changes in aggrecan structure. Changes in aggrecan structure due to synthesis and degradation are depicted. Changes due to synthesis result in an increase in chondroitin sulfate length and a decrease in keratan sulfate length. Changes due to degradation result in truncation of the aggrecan core protein by removal of the G3 region, cleavage within the GAG-attachment region, and cleavage between the G1 and G2 regions.