Kim Y S
Gastrointestinal Research Laboratory, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, CA 94121, USA.
Keio J Med. 1998 Mar;47(1):10-8. doi: 10.2302/kjm.47.10.
Mucins are high molecular weight glycoproteins which are heavily glycosylated with many carbohydrate side chains. In epithelial cancers such as colorectal cancer, both qualitative and quantitative alterations in carbohydrate and polypeptide moieties of mucin glycoproteins occur. These changes in mucin glycoproteins are one of the most common phenotypic markers of colorectal carcinogenesis and may play an important pathobiological role. The expression of some of the sialylated carbohydrate antigens appears to correlate with a poor prognosis and increased metastatic potential in colorectal cancer. The increased exposure of peptide epitopes of mucin glycoproteins in colorectal cancer appears to be due to either abnormal glycosylation and/or altered levels of mucin gene transcription. In addition, dysregulation of tissue specific mucin genes occurs in colorectal cancers. This information is currently being exploited for further elucidation of the molecular mechanisms involved in carcinogenesis, tumor progression and metastasis, and the development of novel methods of colorectal cancer diagnosis and therapy.
黏蛋白是高分子量糖蛋白，其被许多碳水化合物侧链高度糖基化。在诸如结直肠癌等上皮癌中，黏蛋白糖蛋白的碳水化合物和多肽部分会发生定性和定量改变。黏蛋白糖蛋白的这些变化是结直肠癌发生最常见的表型标志物之一，可能发挥重要的病理生物学作用。一些唾液酸化碳水化合物抗原的表达似乎与结直肠癌的预后不良和转移潜能增加相关。结直肠癌中黏蛋白糖蛋白肽表位暴露增加似乎是由于异常糖基化和/或黏蛋白基因转录水平改变。此外，结直肠癌中组织特异性黏蛋白基因发生失调。目前正利用这些信息进一步阐明致癌作用、肿瘤进展和转移所涉及的分子机制，以及开发结直肠癌诊断和治疗的新方法。
