Signaling Properties of Hyaluronan Receptors

In 1979, hyaluronan was demonstrated to bind specifically and with high affinity to intact cells (1), and in 1980, it was shown to enhance cell motility on two-dimensional culture surfaces where the hydrodynamic properties of hyaluronan were not necessary to open spaces for cells to move into (2). These two demonstrations raised the possibility that hyaluronan had the potential to directly modify cell behavior. In 1989, hyaluronan was shown to promote protein tyrosine phosphorylation cascades (3) that were later proven to be required for hyaluronan-mediated motility on planar culture surfaces (4).