background: analysis of human cancer serum has revealed the presence of high amounts of hyaluronan (hyaluronic acid, ha) when compared to human normal serum, it is well documented that ha and its receptors, known as hyaladherins (habps) are involved in matrix regulation, cell proliferation, migration and malignant tumour progression. these hyaladherins not only interact with hyaluronan at the m...

Hyaluronan is made and extruded from cells to form a pericellular or extracellular matrix (ECM) and is present in virtually all tissues in the body. The size and form of hyaluronan present in tissues are indicative of a healthy or inflamed tissue, and the interactions of hyaluronan with immune cells can influence their response. Thus, in order to understand how inflammation is regulated, it is ...

The extracellular matrix glycosaminoglycan, hyaluronan, has been described as a regulator of tissue inflammation, with hyaluronan fragments reported to stimulate innate immune cells. High molecular mass hyaluronan is normally present in tissues, but upon inflammation lower molecular mass fragments are generated. It is unclear if these hyaluronan fragments induce an inflammatory response or are ...

Malignant transformation of cells is frequently associated with an augmented production of hyaluronan and the subsequent formation of a hyaluronan-matrix. In v-Src-transformed cells, hyaluronan directly activate cell motility in a tumor-specific manner. Despite its importance, the mechanism by which v-Src activates hyaluronan production remains unclear. Here we report that multiple signaling pa...

Failure of remyelination is largely responsible for sustained neurologic symptoms in multiple sclerosis (MS). MS lesions contain hyaluronan deposits that inhibit oligodendrocyte precursor cell (OPC) maturation. However, the mechanism behind this inhibition is unclear. We report here that Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) is expressed by oligodendrocytes and is up-regulated in MS lesions. Pathogen-der...

Hyaluronan is a major component of the epidermal extracellular matrix, is actively synthesized by keratinocytes and shows fast matrix turnover in the stratified epithelium. We probed the importance of hyaluronan synthesis in keratinocytes by establishing cell lines carrying the exogenous hyaluronan synthase 2 (Has2) gene in sense and antisense orientations to increase and decrease their hyaluro...

We investigated the production of hyaluronan and the presence of hyaluronan receptors in a panel of human lung carcinoma cell lines, consisting of small cell carcinomas (SCLC) and non-small cell carcinomas (non-SCLC). These transformed cell lines produced only minute amounts of hyaluronan, whereas normal lung fibroblasts synthesized high amounts. CD44 molecules (an integral membrane glycoprotei...

The size of hyaluronan was compared between tissue and lymph using a combination of agarose gel electrophoresis and radiometric assay. Prenodal lymph was collected from heel skin and the gastrocnemius muscle in anesthetized rabbits. The major fraction of hyaluronan in both tissues had a molecular weight >4 million. Lymph contained primarily low-molecular-weight hyaluronan (<0.79 x 10(6)), which...

Hyaluronan is an important connective tissue glycosaminoglycan. Elevated hyaluronan biosynthesis is a common feature during tissue remodeling under both physiological and pathological conditions. Through its interactions with hyaladherins, hyaluronan affects several cellular functions such as cell migration and differentiation. The activities of hyaluronan-synthesizing and -degrading enzymes ha...

Hyaluronan, a high molecular weight glycosaminoglycan is associated with cellular proliferation and migration. In a number of different tumour types, there is a close correlation between tumour progression and hyaluronan production, either by the tumour cells or the surrounding stromal cells. We have examined the ability of an aggressive melanoma cell line (C8161) to stimulate the synthesis of ...