Developmental roles of the glypicans

Evidence for a role of developmental genes in the origin of obesity and body fat distribution

“…Of the seven genes from intraabdominal group, we decided to focus our analysis on the five most significant genes, including two homeo box genes, HoxA5 and HoxC8; Nr2f1, nuclear receptor subfamily 2 group F member 1, also known as COUP-TFI, an orphan member of the steroid receptor superfamily thought to be involved in organogenesis (29); glypican 4 (Gpc4), a cell-surface heparan sulfate proteoglycan involved in cell division and growth regulation (30); and thrombomodulin (Thbd), a surface glycoprotein of endothelial and placental cells (31). We also studied all five genes from the s.c. group of genes including the homeobox gene HoxC9; short stature homeobox 2 (Shox2) a transcription factor with homeodomain expressed during embryonic development (32); Tbox-15 (Tbx15), a transcription factor involved in craniofacial and limb development in the mouse (33); engrailed 1 (En1), the mouse homologue of a Drosophila patterning gene (34); and secreted frizzled-related protein 2 (Sfrp2), a soluble modulator of Wnt signaling (35).…”

Chronic wound healing by fetal cell therapy may be explained by differential gene profiling observed in fetal versus old skin cells

“…Microarray analysis has also shown the importance of ECM glypicans which are proteins that can bind a multitude of GF and ECM molecules which are implicated in signal transduction cascaded that most likely regulate cell proliferation. Glypicans activate or determine activities of morphogens and GF such as FGF, BMPs and IGFs (Berry et al, 1998;De Cat and David, 2001;Hwang et al, 2001). We have seen that glycipans are up-regulated in fetal dermal skin cells (microarray data, GPC4 and GPC3 with 2.02 and 2.03 up-regulated, respectively) and in another recent study by Lener et al (2006) they had seen the same effect with down-regulation of glycipans in aged skin.…”

Signalling Mechanisms Underlying Congenital Malformation: The Gatekeepers, Glypicans

“…Gpcs are proteins of around 60-70 kDa with a characteristic pattern of 14-conserved cysteine residues mainly located to the central domain (De Cat and David, 2001). Gpcs also share an N-terminal signal sequence and a hydrophobic C-terminal sequence involved in the formation of the GPI anchor structure (Fig.…”

“…Gpcs also share an N-terminal signal sequence and a hydrophobic C-terminal sequence involved in the formation of the GPI anchor structure (Fig. 1;De Cat and David, 2001). Heparan sulphate glycosaminoglycan (HSGAG) polysaccharide side chains can be attached to serine residues in consensus sequences, such as XGlyXGlySerX, that are located between the central domain and the C-terminal GPI-anchor (De Cat and David, 2001).…”