WARP is a new member of the von Willebrand factor A-domain superfamily of extracellular matrix proteins.

We report a new member of the von Willebrand factor A-domain protein superfamily, WARP (for von Willebrand factor A-domain-related protein). The full-length mouse WARP cDNA is 2.3 kb in size and predicts a protein of 415 amino acids which contains a signal sequence, a VA-like domain, two fibronectin type III-like repeats, and a short proline- and arginine-rich segment. WARP mRNA was expressed predominantly in chondrocytes and in vitro expression experiments in transfected 293 cells indicated that WARP is a secreted glycoprotein that forms disulphide-bonded oligomers. We conclude that WARP is a new member of the von Willebrand factor A-domain (VA-domain) superfamily of extracellular matrix proteins which may play a role in cartilage structure and function.