5E97, 5E9B, 5E8M, 5E98, 5E9C1085515442ENSG00000173083ENSMUSG00000035273Q9Y251Q6YGZ1NM_006665NM_001098540NM_001166498NM_001199830NM_152803NP_001092010NP_001159970NP_001186759NP_006656NP_690016Heparanase, also known as HPSE, is an enzyme that acts both at the cell-surface and within the extracellular matrix to degrade polymeric heparan sulfate molecules into shorter chain length oligosaccharides.

[5][6] The protein is originally synthesised in an inactive 65 kDa proheparanase form in the golgi apparatus and transferred to late endosomes/lysosomes for transport to the cell-surface.

[8] Removal of the linker reveals an extended cleft on the enzyme surface, which contains the heparanase active site.

Lacritin binds the cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycan syndecan-1 only in the presence of active heparanase.

Heparanase partially or completely cleaves heparan sulfate to expose a binding site in the N-terminal 50 amino acids of syndecan-1.