Abstract
Heparan sulphate (HS)1 is a member of the glycosaminoglycan family of sugars and is present in almost all metazoan organisms. HS possesses a great deal of structural diversity that can be altered spatially and temporally in cells and tissues. HS has many conserved functions throughout biology, one of which is the regulation of growth factor (GF) activity. The variety of HS present on cell surfaces and in the matrix in tissues could be one way that organisms regulate GF activity during development and other processes such as wound healing. Here we review some of the evidence for HS egulation of GF activity during development and in disease processes, describe how HS can carry out these activities and how research into HS structure and function has recently progressed.
