HAS1

HAS1 encodes hyaluronan synthase 1. Hyaluronan (HA) is a linear macromolecule composed of a disaccharide repeat of (GlcNAcβ1,4GlcAβ1,3)n and is a major component of the extracellular matrix. The hyaluronan-synthesizing glycosyltransferase, HAS, is a multiple transmembrane protein found in the plasma membrane. It performs the hyaluronan elongation reaction using UDP-GlcNAc and UDP-GlcA as donor substrates in the cytoplasmic catalytic region. In humans, there are three isoenzymes (HAS1, HAS2, and HAS3), each with different enzymatic properties, that synthesize hyaluronan of various degrees of polymerization with different molecular weights.