Regulation of hyaluronan biosynthesis and clinical impact of excessive hyaluronan production

• Published in: Matrix biology Vol. 78-79; pp. 100 - 117
• Main Authors: Heldin, Paraskevi, Lin, Chun-Yu, Kolliopoulos, Constantinos, Chen, Yen-Hsu, Skandalis, Spyros S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.05.2019; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Biosynthesis; Breast carcinoma; Gene regulation; Homeostasis; Hyaluronic acid; Lymphocytes B; Metabolic disorders; Transcription
• ISSN: 0945-053X; 1569-1802; 1569-1802
• DOI: 10.1016/j.matbio.2018.01.017

The tightly regulated biosynthesis and catabolism of the glycosaminoglycan hyaluronan, as well as its role in organizing tissues and cell signaling, is crucial for the homeostasis of tissues. Overexpression of hyaluronan plays pivotal roles in inflammation and cancer, and markedly high serum and tissue levels of hyaluronan are noted under such pathological conditions. This review focuses on the complexity of the regulation at transcriptional and posttranslational level of hyaluronan synthetic enzymes, and the outcome of their aberrant expression and accumulation of hyaluronan in clinical conditions, such as systemic B-cell cancers, aggressive breast carcinomas, metabolic diseases and virus infection. •Mechanisms that regulate hyaluronan biosynthesis at transcriptional and posttranslational levels.•Consequences of hyaluronan deficiency.•Functional implications of overproduction of HAS1, HAS2 and HAS3 in cancer, metabolic diseases and infection.