The phenotype we have encountered as a result of generating DCs with a sulfate-modifying mutation in the glycan (or genetic absence of the major core protein syndecan-4) in vivo is characterized by a reduction in migration potential in association with an increase in maturation. Although these may be independently related to the mutation, they are also linked in the setting of DC function following activation with unique stimuli. The effect of mutation on reducing early Akt phosphorylation following CCL21 stimulation may be sufficient to inhibit migration signaling by CCL21-responsive DCs. This is in a setting in which the altered glycan chain in mutants can impair the ability of the glycan to serve as a co-receptor for GPCR signaling. Following exposure to a maturation signal such as a bacterial endotoxin, DC antigen uptake is typically shut down after a transient increase [40–42]. This is followed by an upregulation of CCR7 and a concomitant increase in CCL19- and CCL21-driven traffic [43–45]. This allows DCs to shift from immature cells proficient in antigen uptake to mature lymph node migratory cells that are relatively more efficient in MHC restricted antigen presentation and the priming of naive T cells [42,46]. It should be recognized, however, that maturation and migration are not always coupled and may be induced in DCs relatively independently in some settings. In one study, human monocyte-derived DCs showed increased migration upon exposure to soluble glycan, without necessarily the equivalent change in maturation [47]. Also, BMDCs deficient in heparinase or transfected with CCR7 receptor showed reduced and increased migration, respectively, with minimal or no change in maturation [48,49].