Versican
VCANproteinVersican remodeling in the fibrous cap reduces structural integrity and promotes cap degradation.
Pathway placement
Cascade stepFibrous-cap degradation & rupture
Confidencemedium
RationaleECM proteoglycan; versican loss/cleavage weakens fibrous cap and increases rupture risk.
Also acts inEndothelial activation/erosion, Vascular inflammation
Druggability
DruggableYes
Known drugs / candidates0
Small-molecule tractableNo
Antibody tractableYes
EnsemblENSG00000038427
Type I vs non-Type I discrimination
ScoresLow-confidence (proxy)
R — rupture / Type-I43
C — non-Type-I56
A — assay feasibility68
E — evidence strength23
T1DI (composite)7
Specificity differential (R−C)-12.3
Non-Type-I axis panel
Does this marker also move in each non-Type-I setting? mag 0–3; higher means less Type-I-specific. n/a = no evidence retrieved, which is not the same as no change.
No non-Type-I axis evidence retrieved.
Tier: light (literature co-occurrence proxy — lower confidence). See the discrimination table for all markers.
Assay & specimen
Class-level default (no specific cleared assay)— generic method inferred from analyte class; confirm against a specific product insert before use.
Specimen
Serum or plasma
Collection tube
Serum separator (gold/red-top, SST) · K2/K3-EDTA (lavender-top)
Method / principle
Sandwich immunoassay (ELISA) — research-grade unless a cleared assay exists
Reagent / substrate
Matched anti-target antibody pair (capture + labeled detection)
Platform
ELISA microplate or multiplex (Luminex/MSD)
Turnaround · availability
Send-out / research · Research-grade (no universal clinical assay)
Literature evidence(3)
- Proteomic analysis of the extracellular matrix of human atherosclerotic plaques shows marked changes between plaque types.Matrix biology plus · 2024 · PMID 38292008 · doi
- Proteomics and bioinformatics analysis of cardiovascular related proteins in offspring exposed to gestational diabetes mellitus.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2022 · PMID 36277748 · doi
- Differential accumulation of proteoglycans and hyaluronan in culprit lesions: insights into plaque erosion.Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology · 2002 · PMID 12377743 · doi