Recent Advances in Proteoglycans
A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2020) | Viewed by 3422
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Proteoglycans are a ubiquitous family of heavily glycosylated proteins with distinct forms and functions. Over the past 20 years, advancements in elucidating various structural subtypes and identifying cellular locations of proteoglycans have led to the development of a complex classification system for proteoglycans. Proteoglycans can localize either intracellularly as components of secretory granules being anchored to the cell surface or by spanning the cell membrane in addition to being localized in the pericellular region as components of the basement membrane. The largest class of proteoglycans is, however, secreted into the extracellular space. These secreted proteoglycans are key structural components of cartilage, blood vessels, and the central nervous system and have the canonical role of maintaining the architecture of various tissues. In addition, secreted proteoglycans can interact with various receptors either as ligands or via their ability to interact with the natural ligands of these receptors, resulting in indirect regulation of receptor activation. The largest subclass of secreted proteoglycans is small leucine-rich proteoglycans (SLRPs), of which 5 classes have been characterized to date. SLRPs exhibit different biological functions, including control of cell growth and differentiation, modulation of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-b) signaling, and control of fibroblast differentiation and collagen fibrogenesis. Secreted proteoglycans also play a role in regulating inflammation and the immune system. Proteoglycans, e.g., biglycan and proteoglycan-4 (PRG4), are ligands for the toll-like receptors (TLR2 and TLR4), where they produce divergent biological effects. Soluble biglycan can activate TLR2 and TLR4, resulting in an acute inflammatory response, while PRG4 binds TLR2 and TLR4, resulting in inhibition of receptor activation by damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs).
In this Special Issue of Biomolecules, titled “Recent Advances in Proteoglycans”, we would like to present recent findings supporting the biological role of secreted proteoglycans in regulating cell growth, transformation, and tissue remodeling in diseases of chronic inflammation and associated tissue fibrosis in the context of innate and adaptive immune regulation.
Prof. Dr. Khaled A. Elsaid
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- extracellular matrix
- SLRPs
- aggrecans
- innate immunity
- proteoglycans
- toll-like receptor
- fibrosis
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