Development and Stem Cells Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3800, Australia.
William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square, London EC1M 6BQ, UK.
Open Biol. 2021 Feb;11(2):200377. doi: 10.1098/rsob.200377. Epub 2021 Feb 10.
The syndecans are the major family of transmembrane proteoglycans, usually bearing multiple heparan sulfate chains. They are present on virtually all nucleated cells of vertebrates and are also present in invertebrates, indicative of a long evolutionary history. Genetic models in both vertebrates and invertebrates have shown that syndecans link to the actin cytoskeleton and can fine-tune cell adhesion, migration, junction formation, polarity and differentiation. Although often associated as co-receptors with other classes of receptors (e.g. integrins, growth factor and morphogen receptors), syndecans can nonetheless signal to the cytoplasm in discrete ways. Syndecan expression levels are upregulated in development, tissue repair and an array of human diseases, which has led to the increased appreciation that they may be important in pathogenesis not only as diagnostic or prognostic agents, but also as potential targets. Here, their functions in development and inflammatory diseases are summarized, including their potential roles as conduits for viral pathogen entry into cells.
黏附素属于跨膜蛋白聚糖大家族，通常带有多个肝素硫酸链。黏附素几乎存在于脊椎动物所有有核细胞上，在无脊椎动物中也有存在，这表明其具有悠久的进化历史。脊椎动物和无脊椎动物的遗传模型表明，黏附素与肌动蛋白细胞骨架相连，可以精细调节细胞黏附、迁移、连接形成、极性和分化。尽管黏附素常与其他受体（如整合素、生长因子和形态发生素受体）作为共受体相关联，但它仍然可以以离散的方式向细胞质发出信号。黏附素的表达水平在发育、组织修复和一系列人类疾病中上调，这使得人们越来越认识到，它们不仅可以作为诊断或预后标志物在发病机制中发挥重要作用，而且还可能成为潜在的治疗靶点。本文总结了黏附素在发育和炎症性疾病中的作用，包括它们作为病毒病原体进入细胞的通道的潜在作用。
