Hyaluronoglucosaminidase 1 (HYAL1)

Hyaluronan, one of the principal glycosaminoglycans of the extracellular matrix, is a high molecular weight polymer of repeating units of N-acetylglucosamine D-glucuronic acid that is synthesized in the plasma membrane of cells and translocated to the pericellular space. It is believed to have numerous important biologic functions, including modulation of cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation, as well as the regulation of extracellular water and protein homeostasis.

The predicted 435-amino acid protein is 40% identical to the sperm-specific hyaluronidase SPAM1. Cells transfected with the HYAL1 cDNA secreted hyaluronidase activity that was biochemically indistinguishable from plasma hyaluronidase. Screening of cDNA libraries by PCR indicated that HYAL1 is expressed in multiple tissues, but not in brain.