The Biology of CD44 and Its Role in Cancer Progression: Therapeutic Implications

Dear Colleagues,

CD44 is a signalling hub that integrates and transduces microenvironmental cues to the cytoplasm and nucleus, and thus regulates physiological processes. The overexpression and/or over activity of CD44 is linked to diseases such as cancer, immune dysregulation and fibrosis. Alternative splicing of the CD44 transcript results in the formation of the standard CD44 (CD44s) and variant CD44 (CD44v) isoforms, which all contain the extracellular hyaluronan-binding region, and the conserved transmembrane and cytoplasmic regions. CD44 is a cancer stem cell (CSC) marker; therefore, it regulates tumour initiation and chemoresistance, promotes PD-L1 expression, thus eliciting immunosuppression in cancers, and suppresses p53-induced cellular death.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to shed light on the molecular mechanisms that underlie CD44 signalling, its role in cancer progression and in the microenvironment of cancer cells. A more thorough understanding of the biological role of CD44 may facilitate the development of anti-cancer therapies. This Special Issue welcomes reviews, as well as original research articles, by 31 January 2024.

Prof. Dr. Paraskevi Heldin
Guest Editor

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