Although altered CD44 mRNA and protein expression patterns were detected in three of four cancer cell lines tested, which might be attributed to the heterogeneity of cancer cell lines, no obvious difference was noted regarding the fl-HA binding activity of the four cancer cell lines as analyzed in Fig. 2B, suggesting that factors other than CD44v expression affect the different CD44 activation states noted between normal and cancer cells. The gene discussed is CD44; the disease is cancer.