Cell Communication and Signaling BioMed Central Review Open Access CCN3 and calcium signaling Alain Lombet1, Nathalie Planque2, Anne-Marie Bleau2, Chang Long Li2 and Bernard Perbal*2 Address: 1CNRS UMR 8078, Hôpital Marie Lannelongue, 133, Avenue de la Résistance 92350 Le PLESSIS-ROBINSON, France and 2Laboratoire d'Oncologie Virale et Moléculaire, Tour 54, Case 7048, Université Paris 7-D.Diderot, 2 Place Jussieu 75005 PARIS, France Email: Alain Lombet -
[email protected]; Nathalie Planque -
[email protected]; Anne-Marie Bleau -
[email protected]; Chang Long Li -
[email protected]; Bernard Perbal* -
[email protected] * Corresponding author Published: 15 August 2003 Received: 26 June 2003 Accepted: 15 August 2003 Cell Communication and Signaling 2003, 1:1 This article is available from: http://www.biosignaling.com/content/1/1/1 © 2003 Lombet et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article: verbatim copying and redistribution of this article are permitted in all media for any purpose, provided this notice is preserved along with the article's original URL. Abstract The CCN family of genes consists presently of six members in human (CCN1-6) also known as Cyr61 (Cystein rich 61), CTGF (Connective Tissue Growth Factor), NOV (Nephroblastoma Overexpressed gene), WISP-1, 2 and 3 (Wnt-1 Induced Secreted Proteins). Results obtained over the past decade have indicated that CCN proteins are matricellular proteins, which are involved in the regulation of various cellular functions, such as proliferation, differentiation, survival, adhesion and migration. The CCN proteins have recently emerged as regulatory factors involved in both internal and external cell signaling.