Recombinant human R-Spondin-2 (R-Spo2) is a 24.4kDa protein consisting of 212 amino acid residues. R-Spo2 is encoded by the gene mapped to human chromosome 8q23.1. The encoded protein belongs to the R-spondin family of secreted proteins. Members of RSpo family contain two furin-like cysteine-rich domains at N- terminal end and thrombospondin structural domain and a basic charged C- terminal domain.
R-Spondin 2 (R-Spo2) plays a vital role in the activation of canonical Wnt signaling pathway, which is essential for normal morphogenesis of the respiratory tract and limbs. R-Spo2 positively regulates Wnt-dependent mineralization of osteoblasts, myogenic differentiation and hypertrophic myotube formation. R-Spo2 is also involved in skeletal development. Aberration in the expression of RSPO2 causes ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the spine (OPLL), resulted by the altered differentiation of spinal ligament MSCs (mesenchymal stem cells) into chondrocytes. R-Spo2 is associated with various developmental processes, such as myogenesis, craniofacial morphogenesis, keratinocyte proliferation, osteoblast maturation, lung and limb development. R-Spo2 interacts with leucine-rich-repeat-containing G-protein-coupled receptor 5 (Lgr5) and stimulates acetylcholine receptor (AChR) clustering at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ).
