The protein encoded by this gene is a transmembrane (type I) heparan sulfate proteoglycan and is a member of the syndecan proteoglycan family. The syndecans mediate cell binding, cell signaling, and cytoskeletal organization and syndecan receptors are required for internalization of the HIV-1 tat protein. The syndecan-1 protein functions as an integral membrane protein and participates in cell proliferation, cell migration and cell-matrix interactions via its receptor for extracellular matrix proteins. Altered syndecan-1 expression has been detected in several different tumor types. While several transcript variants may exist for this gene, the full-length natures of only two have been described to date. These two represent the major variants of this gene and encode the same protein. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008],CD138, SDC, SYND1, syndecan,Cancer,CDs,Cell Adhesion,Cell Biology & Developmental Biology,Cell Type Marker,Cell Type Marker_Neuron marker,Cell Type Marker_Synapse marker,Cytoskeleton,Endocrine & Metabolism,Extracellular Matrix,Hematopoietic Progenitors,Immunology & Inflammation,Invasion and Metastasis,Lipid Metabolism,Neuroscience,Signal Transduction,Stem Cells,SDC1