Versican other inflammatory cells) can migrate more easily through extracellular matrix that has a higher versican content. Deposits of versican are not present in normal skin but are found in the reticular dermis during keloid scarring, a condition where scar formation becomes uncontrolled and overgrowth of skin tissue occurs at the site of the wound. Versican has been shown to interact with hyaluronan and a link protein (hyaluronan and proteoglycan link protein 1; HAPLN1). Versican Versican is a large extracellular matrix proteoglycan that is present in a variety of human tissues. It is encoded by the "VCAN" gene. Versican is a
Connective tissue by the ratio of ground substance to fibrous tissue. Loose connective tissue has much more ground substance and a relative lack of fibrous tissue, while the reverse is true of dense connective tissue. Dense regular connective tissue, found in structures such as tendons and ligaments, is characterized by collagen fibers arranged in an orderly parallel fashion, giving it tensile strength in one direction. Dense irregular connective tissue provides strength in multiple directions by its dense bundles of fibers arranged in all directions. Special connective tissue consists of reticular connective tissue, adipose tissue, cartilage, bone, and blood. Other kinds of connective