gon-1 encodes a functional metalloprotease that defines a new sub-family of secreted proteases known as MPT (metalloprotease with thrombospondin type 1 repeats); the other two members of this family are the bovine procollagen I N-protease ( PINP ) and the murine enzyme ADAMTS-1; gon-1 is essential for hermaphrodite gonadal morphogenesis and sequence homology with other metalloproteases suggests that it functions by remodeling the extracellular matrix; gon-1 is also required for protein transport from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the Golgi, a function dependent on its C-terminal GON domain; GON-1 is expressed at high levels within the gonadal distal tip cell during migration and also in body wall muscle cells; in the distal tip cell, reporter fusion constructs expressing the GON domain localize to the endoplasmic reticulum, suggesting that GON-1 functions both intra- and extracellularly.
Enables metallopeptidase activity. Involved in several processes, including endoplasmic reticulum to Golgi vesicle-mediated transport; muscle organ morphogenesis; and negative regulation of presynapse assembly. Predicted to be located in extracellular matrix. Expressed in amphid neurons; excretory cell; gonad; motor neurons; and muscle cell. Used to study obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Human ortholog(s) of this gene implicated in rheumatoid arthritis. Is an ortholog of human ADAMTS20 (ADAM metallopeptidase with thrombospondin type 1 motif 20) and ADAMTS9 (ADAM metallopeptidase with thrombospondin type 1 motif 9).