Lymphatic vessel endothelial hyaluronan receptor 1 (LYVE1), also known as extracellular link domain containing 1 (XLKD1) is a

Link domain A Link domain or Link module, also known as Xlink domain (X for extracellular), is a protein domain that binds to hyaluronic acid. It is important in blood cell migration and apoptosis. The link domain is found in some extracellular proteins in ve ...

-containing

hyaladherin Hyaladherins, also known as hyaluronan-binding proteins, are proteins capable of binding to hyaluronic acid. Most hyaladherins belong to the Link module superfamily, including its main receptor CD44, hyalectans and TSG-6. In addition there is a di ...

, a protein capable of binding to

hyaluronic acid Hyaluronic acid (; abbreviated HA; conjugate base hyaluronate), also called hyaluronan, is an anionic, nonsulfated glycosaminoglycan distributed widely throughout connective, epithelial, and neural tissues. It is unique among glycosaminoglycans ...

(HA), homologous to

CD44 The CD44 antigen is a cell-surface glycoprotein involved in cell–cell interactions, cell adhesion and migration. In humans, the CD44 antigen is encoded by the ''CD44'' gene on chromosome 11. CD44 has been referred to as HCAM (homing cell adhesi ...

, the main HA receptor. In humans it is encoded by the ''LYVE1'' gene. LYVE1 is a type I integral membrane

glycoprotein Glycoproteins are proteins which contain oligosaccharide chains covalently attached to amino acid side-chains. The carbohydrate is attached to the protein in a cotranslational or posttranslational modification. This process is known as glycos ...

. It acts as a receptor and binds to both soluble and immobilized hyaluronan. This protein may function in lymphatic hyaluronan transport and have a role in tumor metastasis. LYVE-1 is a cell surface receptor on lymphatic endothelial cells that can be used as a lymphatic endothelial cell marker, allowing for the isolation of these cells for experimental purposes. The physiological role for this receptor is still the subject of debate, but evolutionary conservation suggests an important role. Expression of LYVE1 not restricted to lymph vessels but is also observed in normal liver blood sinusoids, and embryonic blood vessels. LYVE1 expression is also observed in subset of macrophages. LYVE1 positive macrophages in the meninges of rats are both lymphatic, as well as, alymphatic. In brain dura, the LYVE1+ macrophages were predominantly pleomorphic in morphology, while the cells in the spinal cord were pleomorphic in the cervical dura, while in the thoracal dura the cells were mainly round in morphology. The cells in brain dura were associated with collagen network in meninges, and some nonlymphatic LYVE1+ macrophages contained intracellular collagen. The exact function of these cells is yet unknown.

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