Urology, Andrology and Kidney Transplantation Unit, Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", 70124 Bari, Italy.
Division of Urology, European Institute of Oncology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), 71013 Milan, Italy.
Biomolecules. 2024 Mar 7;14(3):315. doi: 10.3390/biom14030315.
Mucins are a family of high-molecular-weight glycoproteins. MUC1 is widely studied for its role in distinct types of cancers. In many human epithelial malignancies, MUC1 is frequently overexpressed, and its intracellular activities are crucial for cell biology. MUC1 overexpression can enhance cancer cell proliferation by modulating cell metabolism. When epithelial cells lose their tight connections, due to the loss of polarity, the mucins become dispersed on both sides of the epithelial membrane, leading to an abnormal mucin interactome with the membrane. Tumor-related MUC1 exhibits certain features, such as loss of apical localization and aberrant glycosylation that might cause the formation of tumor-related antigen epitopes. Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for approximately 3% of adult malignancies and it is the most common kidney cancer. The exact role of MUC1 in this tumor is unknown. Evidence suggests that it may play a role in several oncogenic pathways, including proliferation, metabolic reprogramming, chemoresistance, and angiogenesis. The purpose of this review is to explore the role of MUC1 and the meaning of its overexpression in epithelial tumors and in particular in RCC.
黏蛋白是一类高分子量糖蛋白。MUC1 因其在不同类型癌症中的作用而被广泛研究。在许多人类上皮恶性肿瘤中，MUC1 常过表达，其细胞内活性对细胞生物学至关重要。MUC1 的过表达可通过调节细胞代谢来增强癌细胞的增殖。当上皮细胞因极性丧失而失去紧密连接时，黏蛋白会在上皮膜的两侧分散，导致黏蛋白与膜的异常互作。肿瘤相关的 MUC1 表现出某些特征，如顶端定位丧失和异常糖基化，这可能导致肿瘤相关抗原表位的形成。肾细胞癌（RCC）约占成人恶性肿瘤的 3%，是最常见的肾癌。MUC1 在这种肿瘤中的确切作用尚不清楚。有证据表明，它可能在几种致癌途径中发挥作用，包括增殖、代谢重编程、化疗耐药和血管生成。本综述的目的是探讨 MUC1 的作用及其在上皮肿瘤中，特别是在 RCC 中的过表达的意义。
