The ADAMTS (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain with thrombospondin motifs) family includes 19 secreted proteinases in man. ADAMTS16 is a recently cloned gene expressed at high levels in fetal lung and kidney and adult brain and ovary. The ADAMTS-16 protein currently has no known function. ADAMTS16 is also expressed in human cartilage and synovium where its expression is increased in tissues from osteoarthritis patients compared to normal tissues. In this study, we ascertained that the full length ADAMTS16 mRNA was expressed in chondrocytes and cloned the appropriate cDNA. Stable over-expression of ADAMTS16 in chondrosarcoma cells led to a decrease in cell proliferation and migration, though not adhesion, as well as a decrease in the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP13). The transcription start point of the human ADAMTS16 gene was experimentally identified as 138 bp upstream of the translation start ATG and the basal promoter was mapped out to -1802 bp. Overexpression of Egr1 induced ADAMTS16 promoter constructs of -157/+138 or longer whilst Sp1 induced all ADAMTS16 promoter constructs. Transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) stimulated expression of endogenous ADAMTS16 gene expression in chondrocyte cell lines.