Glypican-6 (GPC6)

Glypican-6 is a cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycan tethered to the plasma membrane via a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor[1][3]. As one of six glypican family members in humans, glypican-6 functions as a modulatory coreceptor for multiple growth factor families, including Wnt, Hedgehog, bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), influencing signaling gradients during development and in adult tissue homeostasis[1][3]. It plays roles in skeletal development, heart growth and remodeling, and may facilitate oncogenic signaling in certain cancer contexts[1][2][3]. Mutations in the GPC6 gene cause omodysplasia 1, a genetic disorder exhibiting skeletal and developmental abnormalities[1][3]. Glypican-6 is upregulated in heart failure, where it promotes cardiomyocyte hypertrophy through ERK pathway activation and serves as a measurable biomarker of disease progression[2]. Glypican-6 is not currently the direct target of approved drugs, but its ability to modulate growth factor signaling pathways makes it a relevant therapeutic target in the contexts of fibrosis, cancer, and developmental syndromes[3][2][1].

Other names

Glypican-6Secreted glypican-6GPC6UNQ369/PRO705Glypican proteoglycan 6OMIMD1glypican-6

Modulation of growth factor responsiveness via cell surface coreceptor activity; Regulation of hypertrophic signaling through ERK pathway activation; Enhancement of WNT5A-mediated signaling and cancer cell invasiveness