Syndecan 1 is a protein

Protein

Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...

 which in humans is encoded by the SDC1 gene

Gene

A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...

.

Function

The protein encoded by this gene is a transmembrane (type I) heparan sulfate

Heparan sulfate

Heparan sulfate is a linear polysaccharide found in all animal tissues. It occurs as a proteoglycan in which two or three HS chains are attached in close proximity to cell surface or extracellular matrix proteins...

 proteoglycan

Proteoglycan

Proteoglycans are proteins that are heavily glycosylated. The basic proteoglycan unit consists of a "core protein" with one or more covalently attached glycosaminoglycan chain. The point of attachment is a Ser residue to which the glycosaminoglycan is joined through a tetrasaccharide bridge...

 and is a member of the syndecan

Syndecan

Syndecans are single transmembrane domain proteins that are thought to act as coreceptors, especially for G protein-coupled receptors. These core proteins carry three to five heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate chains, which allow for interaction with a large variety of ligands including...

 proteoglycan family. The syndecans mediate cell binding, cell signaling

Cell signaling

Cell signaling is part of a complex system of communication that governs basic cellular activities and coordinates cell actions. The ability of cells to perceive and correctly respond to their microenvironment is the basis of development, tissue repair, and immunity as well as normal tissue...

, and cytoskeletal

Cytoskeleton

The cytoskeleton is a cellular "scaffolding" or "skeleton" contained within a cell's cytoplasm and is made out of protein. The cytoskeleton is present in all cells; it was once thought to be unique to eukaryotes, but recent research has identified the prokaryotic cytoskeleton...

 organization and syndecan receptors are required for internalization of the HIV-1

HIV

Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...

 tat protein

Tat (HIV)

Tat is an HIV gene.Tat stands for "Trans-Activator of Transcription". Tat consists of between 86 and 101 amino acids depending on the subtype.-Function:...

. The syndecan-1 protein functions as an integral membrane protein

Integral membrane protein

An integral membrane protein is a protein molecule that is permanently attached to the biological membrane. Proteins that cross the membrane are surrounded by "annular" lipids, which are defined as lipids that are in direct contact with a membrane protein...

 and participates in cell proliferation

Cell growth

The term cell growth is used in the contexts of cell development and cell division . When used in the context of cell division, it refers to growth of cell populations, where one cell grows and divides to produce two "daughter cells"...

, cell migration

Cell migration

Cell migration is a central process in the development and maintenance of multicellular organisms. Tissue formation during embryonic development, wound healing and immune responses all require the orchestrated movement of cells in particular directions to specific locations...

 and cell-matrix

Cell junction

A cell junction is a type of structure that exists within the tissue of a some multicellular organism . Cell junctions consist of protein complexes and provide contact between neighbouring cells or between a cell and the extracellular matrix...

 interactions via its receptor for extracellular matrix proteins. Altered syndecan-1 expression has been detected in several different tumor types. While several transcript variants may exist for this gene, the full-length natures of only two have been described to date. These two represent the major variants of this gene and encode the same protein.

Application

It is a useful marker for plasma cell

Plasma cell

Plasma cells, also called plasma B cells, plasmocytes, and effector B cells, are white blood cells which produce large volumes of antibodies. They are transported by the blood plasma and the lymphatic system...

s, but only if the cells tested are already known to be derived from blood.

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