Mammalian Hyaluronan Synthases

Three isoforms of mammalian hyaluronan synthases have distinct enzymatic properties.

Three mammalian hyaluronan synthase genes, HAS1, HAS2, and HAS3, have recently been cloned. In this study, we characterized and compared the enzymatic properties of these three HAS proteins. Expression of any of these genes in COS-1 cells or rat 3Y1 fibroblasts yielded de novo formation of a hyaluronan coat. The pericellular coats formed by HAS1 transfectants were significantly smaller than tho...

Hyaluronan Synthases from Streptococcus versus Pasteurella bacteria Hyaluronan Synthesis by Class I Hyaluronan Synthases Functional Sizes of the Hyaluronan Synthases Purification and Characterization of the Streptococcal Hyaluronan Synthases The Phospholipid Requirement of the Streptococcal Hyaluronan Synthases

Hyaluronan and hyaluronan synthases: potential therapeutic targets in cancer.

Current models of oncogenesis describe cancer as a progression of genetic mutations in a tumor cell mass. However, tumors are more than a clonal expansion of malignant cells. Tumors are heterogeneous, with a complex 3D structure, analogous to organs comprised of different tissues. In a tumor mass, the component cell types interact with each other and with their microenvironment by exchanging in...

Expression of hyaluronan synthases and hyaluronan in malignant mesothelioma cells.

BACKGROUND Hyaluronan is one of the main components of the extracellular matrix. It is synthesized at the cell plasma membrane by specific hyaluronan synthases (HAS). Although a large number of studies have described hyaluronan in pleural effusion from malignant mesothelioma, the source of hyaluronan in malignant mesothelioma has been subject to controversy. MATERIALS AND METHODS The mRNA exp...

Expression of human hyaluronan synthases in response to external stimuli.

In the present study we have investigated the expression of mRNAs for hyaluronan synthase isoforms (HAS1, HAS2 and HAS3) in different cells in response to various stimuli. Human mesothelial cells, which synthesize large amounts of hyaluronan, express mRNAs encoding all three HAS isoforms, whereas their transformed counterparts, mesothelioma cells, which produce only minute amounts of hyaluronan...