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Syndecans, signaling, and cell adhesion
Author(s) -
Couchman John R.,
Woods Anne
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
journal of cellular biochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.028
H-Index - 165
eISSN - 1097-4644
pISSN - 0730-2312
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-4644(19960616)61:4<578::aid-jcb11>3.0.co;2-c
Subject(s) - microbiology and biotechnology , cell adhesion , syndecan 1 , signal transduction , cell , chemistry , biology , biochemistry
Syndecans are transmembrane proteoglycans which can participate in diverse cell surface interactions, involving extracellular matrix macromolecules, growth factors, protease inhibitors, and even viral entry. Currently, all extracellular interactions are believed to be mediated by distinct structures within the heparan sulfate chains, leaving the roles of chondroitin sulfate chains and extracellular portion of the core proteins to be elucidated. Evidence that syndecans are a class of receptor involved in cell adhesion is mounting, and their small cytoplasmic domains may link with the microfilament cytoskeleton, thereby mediating signaling events. The molecular details are unknown, but the conservation of regions of syndecan cytoplasmic domains, and a strong tendency for homotypic association, support the idea that the ligand‐induced clustering may be a discrete source of specific transmembrane signaling from matrix to cytoskeleton, as proposed for other classes of adhesion receptors. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.