Necrotic debris and STING exert therapeutically relevant effects on tumor cholesterol homeostasis.

Malignant tumors commonly display necrosis, which invariably triggers an inflammatory response that supports tumor growth. However, the effect on tumor cells of necrotic debris, or damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) released by dying cells is unknown. Here, we addressed the effect of DAMPs on primary Ewing sarcoma (EwS) cells and cell lines grown in 3D (spheroids) and 2D culture.

Syndecan-1-Dependent Regulation of Heparanase Affects Invasiveness, Stem Cell Properties, and Therapeutic Resistance of Caco2 Colon Cancer Cells.

The heparan sulfate proteoglycan Syndecan-1 binds cytokines, morphogens and extracellular matrix components, regulating cancer stem cell properties and invasiveness. Syndecan-1 is modulated by the heparan sulfate-degrading enzyme heparanase, but the underlying regulatory mechanisms are only poorly understood. In colon cancer pathogenesis, complex changes occur in the expression pattern of Syndecan-1 and heparanase during progression from well-differentiated to undifferentiated tumors.

Heparan sulphate as a regulator of leukocyte recruitment in inflammation.

A key event in inflammatory disease is the transendothelial recruitment of leukocytes from the circulation to the site of inflammation. Intense research in the past decades indicates that the polyanionic carbohydrate heparan sulphate (HS) modulates multiple steps in the leukocyte recruitment cascade. Leukocyte recruitment is initiated by endothelial cell activation and presentation of chemokines to rolling leukocytes, which, via integrin activation, results in adhesion and diapedesis through the vessel wall.