High impact information on SDC4

• Molecular cloning of amphiglycan, a novel integral membrane heparan sulfate proteoglycan expressed by epithelial and fibroblastic cells [1].
• In addition, a remarkable induction was detected in the genes for syndecan-4 (SDC4) and alpha5-integrin (ITGA5), the cell-adhesion molecules involved in the enhanced adhesion of cancer cells to fibronectin [2].
• Thus human articular chondrocytes are characterized by both their high level of amphiglycan message expression and their use of alternative polyadenylation signals [3].
• When the newly isolated chondrocytes are maintained in monolayer culture for several passages, the amphiglycan message heterogeneity reverts to that characteristic of the fibroblasts [3].
• In contrast with the fibroblasts, where the amphiglycan message exhibits no size polymorphism, the chondrocyte amphiglycan message is present in three polymorphic forms, due to the use of alternative polyadenylation signals [3].

Biological context of SDC4

• SDF-1 associates with CXCR4, and syndecan-4 (SDC-4), a heparan sulfate proteoglycan at the plasma membrane of Huh7 cells, induces the growth of Huh7 cells by promoting their entry into the cell cycle, and inhibits the tumor necrosis factor-alpha-mediated apoptosis of the cells [4].
• Cluster A (4h) was associated with 12% apoptosis and consisted of genes mainly of the cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix such as troponin and the proteoglycan SDC4 [5].

Other interactions of SDC4

• Four different vertebrate syndecans, designated as syndecans 1-4 (or syndecan, fibroglycan, N-syndecan and amphiglycan, respectively), are known [6].

References