Krettek Alexandra, Sjöberg Sara
Nordic School of Public Health, Box 12133, 402 42 Gothenburg, Sweden.
Cardiovasc Hematol Disord Drug Targets. 2009 Dec;9(4):293-302. doi: 10.2174/1871529x10909040293.
CD44, short for cluster of differentiation 44, is an adhesion molecule of the hyaluronate receptor family. Expressed on the surface of most vertebrate cells, it functions as a receptor for several extracellular matrix components, e.g., hyaluronan, collagen, laminin, fibronectin, and osteopontin. CD44 has in recent years been intensively studied in connection with different forms of cancer, where CD44 may regulate invasiveness and tumor progression. Although major functions involve adhesion and migration, CD44 also affects leukocyte homing and recruitment, phagocytosis, matrix remodeling, proliferation, and apoptosis. As such, CD44 is an interesting putative molecule in cardiovascular drug therapy. Accumulating evidence from human studies point to CD44 as involved in inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis and human abdominal aneurysms. To date, several animal studies have shown that the role of CD44 in atherogenesis may vary depending on experimental model. In this Review, we trace CD44 and its potential role in the context of cardiovascular diseases by highlighting both human and animal studies that may help us understand; is CD44 a new cardiovascular drug target or merely an innocent bystander?
CD44是分化簇44的简称，是透明质酸受体家族的一种黏附分子。它在大多数脊椎动物细胞表面表达，作为几种细胞外基质成分的受体发挥作用，例如透明质酸、胶原蛋白、层粘连蛋白、纤连蛋白和骨桥蛋白。近年来，CD44与不同形式的癌症相关的研究受到广泛关注，在癌症中CD44可能调节侵袭性和肿瘤进展。虽然其主要功能涉及黏附和迁移，但CD44也影响白细胞归巢和募集、吞噬作用、基质重塑、增殖和凋亡。因此，CD44是心血管药物治疗中一个引人关注的潜在分子。来自人体研究的越来越多的证据表明，CD44参与了动脉粥样硬化和人类腹主动脉瘤等炎症性疾病。迄今为止，多项动物研究表明，CD44在动脉粥样硬化形成中的作用可能因实验模型而异。在本综述中，我们通过重点介绍有助于我们理解的人体和动物研究来追踪CD44及其在心血管疾病中的潜在作用：CD44是一个新的心血管药物靶点，还是仅仅是一个无辜的旁观者？
