Hyalurondiase: Both a tumor promoter and suppressor

Abstract Originally termed as the “spreading factor”, hyaluronidases (HAases) are present in a variety of toxins and venoms. For example, HAase is the virulent factor of β-hemolytic Streptococci and it is also present in the venoms of snake, bee, wasp, scorpion, etc, where it aids in the spread of t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Seminars in cancer biology 2008-08, Vol.18 (4), p.281-287
Main Authors: Lokeshwar, Vinata B, Selzer, Marie G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Angiogenesis
Animals
Apoptosis - physiology
Cancer diagnosis
Cancer prognosis
Cell Cycle - physiology
Genes, Tumor Suppressor - physiology
Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Medicine
Humans
Hyaluronic acid
Hyaluronidase
Hyaluronoglucosaminidase - physiology
Hymenoptera
Infiltration
Neoplasms - enzymology
Oncogenes - physiology
Tumor growth
Tumor promoter
Tumor suppressor
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Summary:Abstract Originally termed as the “spreading factor”, hyaluronidases (HAases) are present in a variety of toxins and venoms. For example, HAase is the virulent factor of β-hemolytic Streptococci and it is also present in the venoms of snake, bee, wasp, scorpion, etc, where it aids in the spread of these venoms in the body. In mammals, testicular HAase present in the sperm acrosome is necessary for the fertilization of the ovum. Despite a lot of work on bacterial, invertebrate and testicular HAases, a connection between HAase and cancer was unequivocally established just over a decade ago and the functional significance of HAases in cancer was demonstrated just about a year ago. In this part of the review, we will focus on the recent advances in our understanding of the role of HAases in cancer.
ISSN:1044-579X
1096-3650
DOI:10.1016/j.semcancer.2008.03.008