title: Glycosaminoglycans and neoplastic transformation.
abstract: Two classes of mammalian glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are distinguished: hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulphate homopolymers, exhibiting identical repetitive building blocks, versus heparan and dermatan sulphate co-polymers, with differently substituted disaccharidic units. Evidence reported herein suggests that the latter compounds are positive co-factors of matrix assembly promoting the interaction of collagenous and non-collagenous proteins and inhibiting proteolytic activity. Homopolymers, on the contrary, are recognized as negative co-factors impairing the interaction of matrix proteins. The effect of GAGs on matrix assembly influences all the cell periphery because of trans-membrane relationships between submembranous cytoskeletal structures and the outer pericellular matrix. Molecular mechanisms involving GAGs in neoplastic transformation are proposed and discussed.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D002809:Chondroitin Sulfates / Q000378:metabolism; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism; D003871:Dermatan Sulfate / Q000378:metabolism; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans / Q000378:metabolism*; D006497:Heparan Sulfate / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002809:Chondroitin Sulfates; D003094:Collagen; D003871:Dermatan Sulfate; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans; D006497:Heparan Sulfate; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid; D008565:Membrane Proteins