Heparan Sulfate, Chondroitin Sulfate, and Keratan Sulfate as Regulators of Tumor Malignancy
- 1Department of Glyco-Oncology and Medical Biochemistry, Next-Generation Precision Cancer Research Center, Frontier Exploratory Research Domain, Osaka International Cancer Institute, 3-1-69 Otemae, Chuo-ku 541-8567, Osaka, Japan
- 2Department of Molecular Oncology, Affiliated Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Osaka, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita 565-0871, Osaka, Japan
Abstract
All mammalian cells, which include cancer cells, express sugar chains on their cell surfaces. These sugar chains bind with proteins, lipids, and RNAs. These chains consist of as few as two or three monosaccharides in the shortest chains, and as many as several hundred to a thousand monosaccharides in the longest chains. The chains appear to have a multilayered structure, which makes cells appear to be covered in a coating of sugar. The expression patterns and levels of these sugar chains, also known as the glycocalyx, vary greatly depending on the cell or tissue, and are therefore thought to perform unique localized biological functions. Furthermore, changes in the glycocalyx changes in conjunction with the onset of disease are believed to be closely related to the development of pathological conditions. In this study, we focus on glycosaminoglycans such as heparan sulfate, chondroitin sulfate, and keratan sulfate—relatively long chains of glycans that constitute the glycocalyx—and introduce their biological functions and potential applications in cancer treatment.
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BibTeX
@article{ohkawa2026heparan,
title = {{Heparan Sulfate, Chondroitin Sulfate, and Keratan Sulfate as Regulators of Tumor Malignancy}},
author = {Yuki Ohkawa and Naoyuki Taniguchi},
journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/ijms27209229},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/20/9229},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Heparan Sulfate, Chondroitin Sulfate, and Keratan Sulfate as Regulators of Tumor Malignancy
AU - Yuki Ohkawa
AU - Naoyuki Taniguchi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
DO - 10.3390/ijms27209229
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/20/9229
AB - All mammalian cells, which include cancer cells, express sugar chains on their cell surfaces. These sugar chains bind with proteins, lipids, and RNAs. These chains consist of as few as two or three monosaccharides in the shortest chains, and as many as several hundred to a thousand monosaccharides in the longest chains. The chains appear to have a multilayered structure, which makes cells appear to be covered in a coating of sugar. The expression patterns and levels of these sugar chains, also known as the glycocalyx, vary greatly depending on the cell or tissue, and are therefore thought to perform unique localized biological functions. Furthermore, changes in the glycocalyx changes in conjunction with the onset of disease are believed to be closely related to the development of pathological conditions. In this study, we focus on glycosaminoglycans such as heparan sulfate, chondroitin sulfate, and keratan sulfate—relatively long chains of glycans that constitute the glycocalyx—and introduce their biological functions and potential applications in cancer treatment.
SN - 1422-0067
ER -