title: Heparan sulfate fine structure and specificity of proteoglycan functions.
abstract: Heparan sulfate chains have markedly heterogeneous structures in which distinct patterns of sulfation determine the binding specificity for ligand proteins. These "fine structures" of heparan sulfate are mainly produced by the regulated introduction of sulfate groups at the N-, 2-O-, 6-O-, and 3-O-positions of the sugar chain. Recent biochemical, histochemical, and genetic studies have demonstrated that different fine structures mediate distinct molecular recognition events to regulate a variety of cellular functions. In this review, we focus on the molecular basis of growth factor control by the sulfation status of heparan sulfate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona, Tucson 85724, USA. hnakato@azcc.arizona.edu
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakato
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kimata
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D019812:Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycans / Q000378:metabolism*; D006497:Heparan Sulfate / Q000378:metabolism*; D008024:Ligands; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D013429:Sulfatases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors; D019812:Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycans; D006497:Heparan Sulfate; D008024:Ligands; D013429:Sulfatases