Drosophila syndecan: conservation of a cell-surface heparan sulfate proteoglycan

Identification of a single syndecan-like gene in the Drosophila genome was based on the conserved transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains of the mammalian syndecans. A role as a receptor or coreceptor for extracellular effector molecules is confirmed for Drosophila's cell-surface heparan sulfate.