Cloning of mammalian heparanase, an important enzyme in tumor invasion and metastasis

Mark D. Hulett*, Craig Freeman, Brenton J. Hamdorf, Rohan T. Baker, Matthew J. Harris, Christopher R. Parish

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

498 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The endoglycosidase heparanase is an important in the degradation of the extracellular matrix by invading cells, notably metastatic tumor cells and migrating leukocytes. Here we report the cDNA sequence of the human platelet enzyme, which encodes a unique protein of 543 amino acids, and the identification of highly homologous sequences in activated mouse T cells and in a highly metastatic rat adenocarcinoma. Furthermore, the expression of heparanase mRNA in rat tumor cells correlates with their metastatic potential. Exhaustive studies have shown only one heparanase sequence, consistent with the idea that this enzyme is the dominant endoglucuronidase in mammalian tissues.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)803-809
Number of pages7
JournalNature Medicine
Volume5
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 1999
Externally publishedYes

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