Bibliothèque de L'IMIST/CNRST

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Association between cancer and "acid mucopolysaccharides" : an old concept comes of age, finally -- Hyaluronan-CD44 interactions and chemoresistance in cancer cells -- Growth factor regulation of hyaluronan deposition in malignancies -- Hyaluronan binding protein 1 (HABP1/p32/gClqR) : a new perspective in tumor development -- CD44 meets Merlin and Ezrin : their interplay mediates the pro-tumor activity of CD44 and tumor-suppressing effect of Merlin -- Hyaluronan-mediated CD44 interaction with receptor and non-receptor kinases promotes oncogenic signaling, cytoskeleton activation, and tumor progression -- Adhesion and penetration : two sides of CD44 signal transduction cascades in the context of cancer cell metastasis -- Involvement of CD44, a molecule with a thousand faces, in cancer dissemination -- RHAMM/HMMR : an itinerant and multifunctional hyaluronan binding protein that modifies CD44 signaling and mitotic spindle formation -- Altered hyaluronan biosynthesis in cancer progression.

Hyaluronidase : both a tumor promoter and suppressor -- The hyaluronidases in cancer biology -- Hyaluronan fragments : informational polymers commandeered by cancers -- Hyaluronan in human tumors : importance of stromal and cancer cell-associated hyaluronan -- The oncofetal paradigm revisited : MSF and HA as contextual drivers of cancer progression -- Hyaluronan synthesis and turnover in prostate cancer -- Role of hyaluronan in melanoma progression -- Role of hyaluronan metabolism in the initiation, invasion, and metastasis of breast cancer -- Clinical use of hyaluronidase in combination cancer chemotherapy : a historic perspective -- Exploring the hyaluronan:CD44 interaction for cancer therapy -- Hyaluronidase-2 and its role as a cell-entry receptor for sheep retroviruses that cause contagious respiratory tract cancers.

Hyaluronan biology is being recognized as an important regulator of cancer progression. Paradoxically, both hyaluronan (HA) and hyaluronidases, the enzymes that eliminate HA, have also been correlated with cancer progression. Hyaluronan, a long-chain polymer of the extracellular matrix, opens up tissue spaces through which cancer cells move and metastasize. It also confers motility upon cells through interactions of cell-surface HA with the cytoskeleton. Embryonic cells in the process of movement and proliferation use the same strategy. It is an example of how cancer cells have commandeered normal cellular processes for their own survival and spread. There are also parallels between cancer and wound healing, cancer occasionally being defined as a wound that does not heal. The growing body of literature regarding this topic has recently progressed from describing the association of hyaluronan and hyaluronidase expression associated with different cancers, to understanding the mechanisms that drive tumor cell activation, proliferation, drug resistance, etc. No one source, however, discusses hyaluronan synthesis and catabolism, as well as the factors that regulate the balance. This book offers a comprehensive summary and cutting-edge insight into Hyaluronan biology, the role of the HA receptors, the hyaluronidase enzymes that degrade HA, as well as HA synthesis enzymes and their relationship to cancer. Offers a comprehensive summary and cutting-edge insight into Hyaluronan biology, the role of the HA receptors, the hyaluronidase enzymes that degrade HA, as well as HA synthesis enzymes and their relationship to cancer. Chapters are written by the leading international authorities on this subject, from laboratories that focus on the investigation of hyaluronan in cancer initiation, progression, and dissemination.