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Heparin - A Century of Progress pp 159–176Cite as

Heparin and Heparan Sulfate: Analyzing Structure and Microheterogeneity

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Part of the book series: Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology ((HEP,volume 207))

Abstract

The structural microheterogeneity of heparin and heparan sulfate is one of the major reasons for the multifunctionality exhibited by this class of molecules. In a physiological context, these molecules primarily exert their effects extracellularly by mediating key processes of cellular cross-talk and signaling leading to the modulation of a number of different biological activities including development, cell proliferation, and inflammation. This structural diversity is biosynthetically imprinted in a nontemplate-driven manner and may also be dynamically remodeled as cellular function changes. Understanding the structural information encoded in these molecules forms the basis for attempting to understand the complex biology they mediate. This chapter provides an overview of the origin of the structural microheterogeneity observed in heparin and heparan sulfate, and the orthogonal analytical methodologies that are required to help decipher this information.

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Acknowledgement

The authors thank Dr. Daniela Beccati for providing Fig. 4.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Building E25-Room 519, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    Zachary Shriver & Ram Sasisekharan

  2. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    Zachary Shriver & Ram Sasisekharan

  3. Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    Zachary Shriver & Ram Sasisekharan

  4. Momenta Pharmaceuticals Inc., 675 West Kendall Street, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA

    Ishan Capila & Ganesh Venkataraman

Authors
  1. Zachary Shriver
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  2. Ishan Capila
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  3. Ganesh Venkataraman
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  4. Ram Sasisekharan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ram Sasisekharan .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Pharmacy, University of London, Brunswick Square 29-39, London, WC1N 1AX, United Kingdom

    Rebecca Lever

  2. Standards and Control, National Institute for Biological, Blanche Lane, Potters Bar, Herts., EN6 3QG, United Kingdom

    Barbara Mulloy

  3. King's College London, Sackler Inst. Pulmonary Pharmacology, Waterloo Campus, London, SE1 9NH, United Kingdom

    Clive P. Page

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Shriver, Z., Capila, I., Venkataraman, G., Sasisekharan, R. (2012). Heparin and Heparan Sulfate: Analyzing Structure and Microheterogeneity. In: Lever, R., Mulloy, B., Page, C. (eds) Heparin - A Century of Progress. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, vol 207. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-23056-1_8

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