Proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans research

Proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans are large, sugar-coated proteins embedded in the extracellular matrix and on cell surfaces, where they act as molecular gatekeepers that bind growth factors, cytokines, and signaling receptors to shape how cells communicate and respond to their environment. Specific molecules in this family — including hyaluronan, heparan sulfate, and the receptor CD44 — have been implicated in processes as varied as synaptic remodeling in the nervous system, inflammatory signaling through Toll-like receptors, and the formation of new blood vessels in tumors. A central challenge is decoding the combinatorial complexity of glycan chains, which vary in length, sulfation pattern, and protein partner in ways that likely encode distinct biological instructions. Researchers are actively working out how this structural diversity is regulated, and how disruptions to it contribute to cancer, neurodegeneration, and chronic inflammation.

Works

64,359

Total citations

1,704,097

Keywords

HyaluronanProteoglycansHeparan SulfateCD44Cell SignalingGlycosaminoglycans