Hyaluronan Synthase-1, -2, and -3

摘要: Hyaluronan (HA) is a high-molecular-weight linear polysaccharide composed of β-1,4-linked repeating disaccharides glucuronic acid β-1,3-linked to N- acetylglucosamine. It found in the extracellular matrices most vertebrate tissues and capsules certain bacterial pathogens. In vertebrates hyaluronan plays an important role not only maintaining tissue architecture function but also modulating cell migration, adhesion, wound healing, tumor invasion through its association with surface receptors. Despite considerable efforts, HA biosynthesis mechanism had remained unclear owing difficulty biochemical isolation active enzyme. Since gene for synthase was first isolated from Streptococcus pyogenes several years ago (DeAngelis et al. 1993), rapid progress has been made elucidate enzyme properties reaction mechanisms. Three distinct yet highly conserved genes encoding mammalian synthases (HAS1, HAS2, HAS3) have cloned (Itano Kimata, 1996a,b; Shyjan 1996; Spicer 1996, 1997a,b); Watanabe Yamaguchi McDonald 1998), which raised new questions about how they are different each other.