Application of Collagen-Model Triple-Helical Peptide-Amphiphiles for CD44-Targeted Drug Delivery Systems

Figure 1

Schematic structure of CD44. The hyaluronate/hyaluronic acid (HA) binding site is in the N-terminal portion (Link module) of CD44 (residues Arg41-Tyr105) [33–35], while the CS modification primarily occurs at Ser180 [31]. The alternatively spliced variants of CD44 contain inserts at residues 204-205 of the parent protein [4]. Heparan sulfate modification occurs in exon v3 [36]; dermatin sulfate modification is observed for the nonspliced protein [37, 38], and CD176/Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen is found in spliced CD44 variants [39, 40]. The binding of α1(IV)1263–1277 to CD44 is dependent upon CS [41], and thus α1(IV)1263–1277 binding occurs in a region distinct from HA binding.