Cleaves aggrecan, a cartilage proteoglycan, at the '392- Glu-|-Ala-393' site and may be involved in its turnover (PubMed:10356395, PubMed:10827174). Also cleaves COMP (PubMed:39672391). May play an important role in the destruction of aggrecan in arthritic diseases. Could be a critical factor in the exacerbation of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer disease. {ECO:0000269|PubMed:10356395, ECO:0000269|PubMed:10827174, ECO:0000269|PubMed:39672391}. This is the function of ADAMTS4 (ADAM metallopeptidase with thrombospondin type 1 motif 4, ENSG00000158859).