| Modification Notes |
Heparanases degrade heparan sulfate side chains of heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) in the extracellular matrix and play an important role in the extravasation of blood-borne tumor cells and inflammatory leukocytes (1,2). Upon degradation, heparanases free growth factors and cytokines that stimulate cell proliferation and chemotaxis (3,4). Human heparanase 1-3 (HPA1-3) are members of the heparanase family. Three alternative splice variants of the HPA2 transcripts encode predicted intracellular membrane-bound proteins of various lengths (5). HPA2 is expressed in brain, small intestine, prostate, mammary gland, testis, and uterus (5). While HPA2 is not expressed in normal pancreas, it is expressed in pancreatic tumor cell lines MiaPaca-2 and Panc-1 as well as pancreatic adenocarcinoma (5). |