Heparanase is an endoglycosidase that degrades heparan sulfate chains of heparan sulfate
proteoglycans, a key component of extracellular matrix and basement membranes. Studies
using heparanase inhibitors and gene silencing have provided evidence to support an
important role for heparanase in tumor metastasis and angiogenesis. The expression of
heparanase is normally very tightly controlled, however, it is commonly deregulated in tumor
cells, which express elevated heparanase activity that correlates with high levels of …