Cleavage of heparan sulfate (HS) proteoglycans affects the integrity and function of tissues
and thereby fundamental phenomena, involving cell migration and response to changes in
the extracellular microenvironment. The role of HS-degrading enzymes, commonly referred
to as heparanases, in normal development has not been identified. The present study
focuses on cloning, expression, and properties of a chicken heparanase and its distribution
in the developing chicken embryo. We have identified a chicken EST, homologous to the …