Hyaladherins, also known as hyaluronan-binding proteins, are proteins capable of binding to
hyaluronic acid
Hyaluronic acid (; abbreviated HA; conjugate base hyaluronate), also called hyaluronan, is an anionic, nonsulfated glycosaminoglycan distributed widely throughout connective, epithelial, and neural tissues. It is unique among glycosaminog ...
. Most hyaladherins belong to the
Link module superfamily, including its main receptor
CD44
The CD44 antigen is a cell-surface glycoprotein involved in cell–cell interactions, cell adhesion and migration. In humans, the CD44 antigen is encoded by the ''CD44'' gene on chromosome 11. CD44 has been referred to as HCAM (homing cell adhes ...
,
hyalectans and
TSG-6. In addition there is a diverse group of hyaladherins lacking a Link module; these include the receptor
RHAMM,
C1QBP
Complement component 1 Q subcomponent-binding protein, mitochondrial is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''C1QBP'' gene.
The human complement subcomponent C1q associates with C1r and C1s in order to yield the first component of the seru ...
(HABP1) and
HABP2.
The primary roles of hyaladherins are
cell adhesion
Cell adhesion is the process by which cells interact and attach to neighbouring cells through specialised molecules of the cell surface. This process can occur either through direct contact between cell surfaces such as Cell_junction, cell junc ...
, structural support of the
extracellular matrix
In biology, the extracellular matrix (ECM), also called intercellular matrix (ICM), is a network consisting of extracellular macromolecules and minerals, such as collagen, enzymes, glycoproteins and hydroxyapatite that provide structural and bio ...
(ECM) and
cell signalling
In biology, cell signaling (cell signalling in British English) is the process by which a cell interacts with itself, other cells, and the environment. Cell signaling is a fundamental property of all cellular life in both prokaryotes and eukary ...
.
Due to the role of aberrant hyaluronic acid synthesis and degradation in various
cancers
Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...
, hyaladherins, as well as hyaluronic acid, are considered a promising target for
cancer therapy
Cancer treatments are a wide range of treatments available for the many different types of cancer, with each cancer type needing its own specific treatment. Treatments can include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, targe ...
.
See also
*
Hyaluronan synthase
*
Hyaluronidase
Hyaluronidases are a family of enzymes that catalyse the degradation of hyaluronic acid. Karl Meyer classified these enzymes in 1971, into three distinct groups, a scheme based on the enzyme reaction products. The three main types of hyaluroni ...
References
{{reflist, 2
Proteins by function