CD44 is a type I transmembrane protein and a member of the cartilage link protein family. Human CD44 has a 20 amino acid (aa) signal sequence, an extracellular domain (ECD) with a 100 aa hyaluronan-binding disulfide-stabilized link region and a 325-530 aa stem region, a 21 aa transmembrane domain, and a 72 aa cytoplasmic domain. CD44 is the major surface hyaluronan (HA) receptor implicated in intercellular and cell-matrix adhesion, cell migration and signaling. CD44 participates in a wide variety of cellular functions including lymphocyte activation, recirculation and homing, hematopoiesis, and tumor metastasis. Transcripts for this gene undergo complex alternative splicing that results in many functionally distinct isoforms.
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