CD44: A Target Enabling Package

CD44 is a transmembrane receptor that signals through binding hyaluronic acid (HA) with its ectodomain. The intracellular C-terminal tail associates with a variety of factors, including Moesin (MSN), an F-actin binding protein. Through MSN and HA binding, CD44 can link the extracellular matrix to the cytoskeleton. Investigation of the Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) brain proteome, along with weighted co-expression network analysis, revealed a module enriched with proteins involved in inflammation. CD44 (along with MSN) is a key driver of this module, increasing in abundance in asymptomatic and symptomatic AD patients. The aim of the TEP is to produce reagents to test the hypothesis that inhibiting CD44 ectodomain binding to HA may reduce CD44 signalling and inflammation in the brain, limiting neuronal damage in AD patients.