Metalloprotease that may play a role in the degradation of COMP. Cleaves also alpha-2 macroglobulin and aggregan. Has anti-tumorigenic properties. Binds 1 zinc ion per subunit. Inhibited by alpha-2 macroglobulin. Optimum pH is between 7.5 and 9.5 with COMP for substrate. Interacts with COMP. Expressed in skeletal muscle and fat. By IFN-alpha and by IL1B/interleukin-1 beta. Up-regulated in articular cartilage and synovium from arthritis patients. Up-regulared in chondrocytes. The spacer domain and the TSP type-1 domains are important for a tight interaction with the extracellular matrix. The C-terminal four TSP1-like repeats are necessary and sufficient for binding COMP. The conserved cysteine present in the cysteine-switch motif binds the catalytic zinc ion, thus inhibiting the enzyme. The dissociation of the cysteine from the zinc ion upon the activation-peptide release activates the enzyme. The precursor is cleaved by a furin endopeptidase. Subjected to an intracellular maturation process yielding a 120 kDa N-terminal fragment containing the metalloproteinase, disintegrin, one TSP type-1 and the Cys-rich domains and a 83 kDa C-terminal fragment containing the spacer 2 and four TSP type-1 domains. Glycosylated. Can be O-fucosylated by POFUT2 on a serine or a threonine residue found within the consensus sequence C1-X(2)-(S/T)-C2-G of the TSP type-1 repeat domains where C1 and C2 are the first and second cysteine residue of the repeat, respectively. Fucosylated repeats can then be further glycosylated by the addition of a beta-1,3-glucose residue by the glucosyltransferase, B3GALTL. Fucosylation mediates the efficient secretion of ADAMTS family members. Can also be C-glycosylated with one or two mannose molecules on tryptophan residues within the consensus sequence W-X-X-W of the TPRs, and N-glycosylated. These other glycosylations can also facilitate secretion (By similarity). Was reported to be expressed in adult skeletal muscle and fat, in fetal lung, and in gastric carcinomas and cancer cells of diverse origin (PubMed:11279086). However, this paper has been retracted because data in one figure has been falsified (PubMed:30808000).