Role of Hyaluronan in Human Health and Disease

A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Cellular Pathology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2024 | Viewed by 2946

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
Interests: disorders of hyaluronan metabolism; lysosomal storage disorders
School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
Interests: hyaluronan; anti-fibrotic; renal disease
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Hyaluronan (HA) is a large carbohydrate polymer that is ubiquitously distributed in mammalian tissues. Its abundance, distribution and size are controlled by proteins and/or mechanical forces that regulate these parameters to allow for normal development and the maintenance of healthy tissues. HA synthesis-related proteins, hyaluronidases and HA-binding proteins are among the critical molecules known to be associated with alterations in HA that drive abnormal development and/or disease.

This Special issue will examine diseases and developmental abnormalities that are the consequences of the disruption of HA homeostasis and the mechanisms that underly these processes. Examples of these diseases include genetic disorders involving components of HA metabolism, cancers, fibrosis-related diseases, disorders of immune function and failures in normal tissue repair/regeneration.

Dr. Barbara Triggs-Raine
Dr. Soma Meran
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • hyaluronan
  • hyaluronidases
  • hyaluronan-binding proteins
  • hyaluronan receptors
  • fibrosis
  • cancer
  • development
  • immune function

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1645 KiB  
Article
Hymecromone Promotes Longevity and Insulin Sensitivity in Mice
by Nadine Nagy, Kathryn S. Czepiel, Gernot Kaber, Darko Stefanovski, Aviv Hargil, Nina Pennetzdorfer, Robert Targ, Saranya C. Reghupaty, Thomas N. Wight, Robert B. Vernon, Rebecca L. Hull-Meichle, Payton Marshall, Carlos O. Medina, Hunter Martinez, Anissa Kalinowski, Rudolph D. Paladini, Stavros Garantziotis, Joshua W. Knowles and Paul L. Bollyky
Cells 2024, 13(20), 1727; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13201727 - 18 Oct 2024
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Abstract
Given that the extracellular matrix polymer hyaluronan (HA) has been implicated in longevity, we asked whether 4-methylumbelliferone (4-MU), an inhibitor of HA synthesis, impacts lifespan in mice. We designed a prospective study of long-term administration of 4-MU with conventional C57BL/6J mice. We find [...] Read more.
Given that the extracellular matrix polymer hyaluronan (HA) has been implicated in longevity, we asked whether 4-methylumbelliferone (4-MU), an inhibitor of HA synthesis, impacts lifespan in mice. We designed a prospective study of long-term administration of 4-MU with conventional C57BL/6J mice. We find that 4-MU extends median survival from 122 weeks (control) to 154 weeks (4-MU), an increase of 32 weeks (p < 0.0001 by Log-rank Mantel Cox test). The maximum lifespan of 4-MU treated mice increased from 159 to 194 weeks. In tandem with these effects, 4-MU enhances insulin sensitivity, a metabolic parameter known to regulate lifespan, as measured by insulin tolerance testing (ITT) as well as frequent sampling intra venous glucose tolerance tests (FSIVGTTs). We further observed that 4-MU treated mice weigh less while consuming the same amount of food, indicating that 4-MU treatment alters energy expenditure. However, we do not observe changes in tissue HA content in this model. We conclude that 4-MU promotes insulin sensitivity and longevity but that the underlying mechanism, and the contribution of HA is unclear. 4-MU, already approved in various countries for hepatobiliary conditions, is currently under investigation and clinical development as a therapy for several chronic inflammatory conditions. These data suggest that the beneficial effects of 4-MU on tissue metabolism may include effects on longevity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Role of Hyaluronan in Human Health and Disease)
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14 pages, 10108 KiB  
Article
Hyaluronan Mediates Cold-Induced Adipose Tissue Beiging
by Xi Chen, Yifan Wang, Huiqiao Li, Yanru Deng, Charlise Giang, Anying Song, Yu’e Liu, Qiong A. Wang and Yi Zhu
Cells 2024, 13(15), 1233; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13151233 - 23 Jul 2024
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Abstract
Adipose tissue beiging refers to the process by which beige adipocytes emerge in classical white adipose tissue depots. Beige adipocytes dissipate chemical energy and secrete adipokines, such as classical brown adipocytes, to improve systemic metabolism, which is beneficial for people with obesity and [...] Read more.
Adipose tissue beiging refers to the process by which beige adipocytes emerge in classical white adipose tissue depots. Beige adipocytes dissipate chemical energy and secrete adipokines, such as classical brown adipocytes, to improve systemic metabolism, which is beneficial for people with obesity and metabolic diseases. Cold exposure and β3-adrenergic receptor (AR) agonist treatment are two commonly used stimuli for increasing beige adipocytes in mice; however, their underlying biological processes are different. Transcriptional analysis of inguinal white adipose tissue (iWAT) has revealed that changes in extracellular matrix (ECM) pathway genes are specific to cold exposure. Hyaluronic acid (HA), a non-sulfated linear polysaccharide produced by nearly all cells, is one of the most common components of ECM. We found that cold exposure significantly increased iWAT HA levels, whereas the β3-AR agonist CL316,243 did not. Increasing HA levels in iWAT by Has2 overexpression significantly increases cold-induced adipose tissue beiging; in contrast, decreasing HA by Spam1 overexpression, which encodes a hyaluronidase that digests HA, significantly decreases cold-induced iWAT beiging. All these data implicate a role of HA in promoting adipose tissue beiging, which is unique to cold exposure. Given the failure of β3-AR agonists in clinical trials for obesity and metabolic diseases, increasing HA could serve as a new approach for recruiting more beige adipocytes to combat metabolic diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Role of Hyaluronan in Human Health and Disease)
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Review

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17 pages, 2027 KiB  
Review
Genetic Deficiencies of Hyaluronan Degradation
by Stephen P. Fink and Barbara Triggs-Raine
Cells 2024, 13(14), 1203; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13141203 - 16 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 884
Abstract
Hyaluronan (HA) is a large polysaccharide that is broadly distributed and highly abundant in the soft connective tissues and embryos of vertebrates. The constitutive turnover of HA is very high, estimated at 5 g per day in an average (70 kg) adult human, [...] Read more.
Hyaluronan (HA) is a large polysaccharide that is broadly distributed and highly abundant in the soft connective tissues and embryos of vertebrates. The constitutive turnover of HA is very high, estimated at 5 g per day in an average (70 kg) adult human, but HA turnover must also be tightly regulated in some processes. Six genes encoding homologues to bee venom hyaluronidase (HYAL1, HYAL2, HYAL3, HYAL4, HYAL6P/HYALP1, SPAM1/PH20), as well as genes encoding two unrelated G8-domain-containing proteins demonstrated to be involved in HA degradation (CEMIP/KIAA1199, CEMIP2/TMEM2), have been identified in humans. Of these, only deficiencies in HYAL1, HYAL2, HYAL3 and CEMIP have been identified as the cause or putative cause of human genetic disorders. The phenotypes of these disorders have been vital in determining the biological roles of these enzymes but there is much that is still not understood. Deficiencies in these HA-degrading proteins have been created in mice and/or other model organisms where phenotypes could be analyzed and probed to expand our understanding of HA degradation and function. This review will describe what has been found in human and animal models of hyaluronidase deficiency and discuss how this has advanced our understanding of HA’s role in health and disease. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Role of Hyaluronan in Human Health and Disease)
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