We further identified that Versican was critical for enhancement of cancer cell proliferation as well as tumor cell invasion in vitro. As a ubiquitous component of the ECM, Versican is expressed and secreted by fibroblasts present in the tumor stroma and is likely regulated by transforming growth factor beta17, 24, 25, 26 and is also a target gene of Wnt signaling.27 The interplay of these factors may lead to different Versican expression levels in various tumor types. Here, VCAN is linked to cancer.