May anchor basement membranes to the underlying connective tissue. Binds the basement membrane heparan sulfate proteoglycan perlecan and triple helical collagens type I and type II. Expressed in cartilage throughout both fetal development and postnatal life. It is also expressed in the developing embryo prior to skeletogenesis. In adult, highest expression in lung, lower levels in cardiac and skeletal muscle. The basic N-terminal Arg/Pro-rich binds heparin and heparan sulfate. Binds collagens type I and type II through its leucine-rich repeat domain (By similarity). Belongs to the small leucine-rich proteoglycan (SLRP) family. SLRP class II subfamily.