Pietrobono Silvia, Stecca Barbara
Tumor Cell Biology Unit, Core Research Laboratory, Institute for Cancer Research and Prevention (ISPRO), Viale Pieraccini 6, 50139 Florence, Italy.
Cancers (Basel). 2021 Apr 22;13(9):2014. doi: 10.3390/cancers13092014.
Sialylation is an integral part of cellular function, governing many biological processes including cellular recognition, adhesion, molecular trafficking, signal transduction and endocytosis. Sialylation is controlled by the levels and the activities of sialyltransferases on glycoproteins and lipids. Altered gene expression of these enzymes in cancer yields to cancer-specific alterations of glycoprotein sialylation. Mounting evidence indicate that hypersialylation is closely associated with cancer progression and metastatic spread, and can be of prognostic significance in human cancer. Aberrant sialylation is not only a result of cancer, but also a driver of malignant phenotype, directly impacting key processes such as tumor cell dissociation and invasion, cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions, angiogenesis, resistance to apoptosis, and evasion of immune destruction. In this review we provide insights on the impact of sialylation in tumor progression, and outline the possible application of sialyltransferases as cancer biomarkers. We also summarize the most promising findings on the development of sialyltransferase inhibitors as potential anti-cancer treatments.
唾液酸化是细胞功能不可或缺的一部分，它调控着许多生物过程，包括细胞识别、黏附、分子运输、信号转导和内吞作用。唾液酸化受唾液酸转移酶在糖蛋白和脂质上的水平及活性控制。这些酶在癌症中的基因表达改变会导致糖蛋白唾液酸化出现癌症特异性改变。越来越多的证据表明，高唾液酸化与癌症进展和转移扩散密切相关，并且在人类癌症中可能具有预后意义。异常唾液酸化不仅是癌症的结果，也是恶性表型的驱动因素，直接影响肿瘤细胞解离和侵袭、细胞间及细胞与基质相互作用、血管生成、抗凋亡能力以及逃避免疫破坏等关键过程。在本综述中，我们阐述了唾液酸化对肿瘤进展的影响，并概述了唾液酸转移酶作为癌症生物标志物的可能应用。我们还总结了唾液酸转移酶抑制剂作为潜在抗癌治疗药物开发方面最有前景的研究成果。
