Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-5870, USA.
Biofactors. 2009 Nov-Dec;35(6):509-27. doi: 10.1002/biof.64.
Mucins are the most abundant high molecular weight glycoproteins in mucus. Their nature and glycosylation content dictates the biochemical and biophysical properties of viscoelastic secretions, pointing out an important role in diverse biological functions, such as differentiation, cell adhesions, immune responses, and cell signaling. Mucins are expressed in tubular organs by specialized epithelial cells in the body. Their aberrant expression is well documented in a variety of inflammatory or malignant diseases. From a prognosis point of view, their expression and alterations in glycosylation are associated with the development and progression of malignant diseases. Therefore, mucins can be used as valuable markers to distinguish between normal and disease conditions. Indeed, this alteration in glycosylation patterns generates several epitopes in the oligosaccharide side chains that can be used as diagnostic and/or prognostic markers. Furthermore, these characteristic tumor-associated epitopes are extensively used as appropriate immunotargets of malignant epithelial cells. Therefore, in an effort to detect and treat cancer at the earliest stage possible, mucins are analyzed as potential markers of disease for diagnosis, progression, and for therapeutic purposes. In this review, we focused on the current status of the distribution of mucins in normal and pathologic conditions and their clinical use both in cancer diagnosis and therapeutics treatments.
黏蛋白是黏液中最丰富的高分子量糖蛋白。其性质和糖基化含量决定了黏弹性分泌物的生化和物理特性，指出其在多种生物学功能中具有重要作用，如分化、细胞黏附、免疫反应和细胞信号转导。黏蛋白由体内专门的上皮细胞在管状器官中表达。它们在各种炎症或恶性疾病中的异常表达已有充分的记载。从预后的角度来看，它们的表达和糖基化的改变与恶性疾病的发展和进展有关。因此，黏蛋白可用作区分正常和疾病状态的有价值的标志物。事实上，这种糖基化模式的改变会在寡糖侧链中产生几个表位，可作为诊断和/或预后标志物。此外，这些特征性的肿瘤相关表位被广泛用作恶性上皮细胞的适当免疫靶点。因此，为了尽可能早地发现和治疗癌症，黏蛋白被分析为疾病的潜在标志物，用于诊断、进展和治疗目的。在这篇综述中，我们重点介绍了黏蛋白在正常和病理条件下的分布现状及其在癌症诊断和治疗中的临床应用。
