This gene encodes a member of the small leucine-rich proteoglycan (SLRP) family that includes decorin, biglycan, fibromodulin, keratocan, epiphycan, and osteoglycin. In these bifunctional molecules, the protein moiety binds collagen fibrils and the highly charged hydrophilic glycosaminoglycans regulate interfibrillar spacings. Lumican is the major keratan sulfate proteoglycan of the cornea but is also distributed in interstitial collagenous matrices throughout the body. Lumican may regulate collagen fibril organization and circumferential growth, corneal transparency, and epithelial cell migration and tissue repair. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]
