Role of protein glycosylation in cancer metastasis

TY - JOUR

T1 - Role of protein glycosylation in cancer metastasis

AU - Oliveira-Ferrer, Leticia

AU - Legler, Karen

AU - Milde-Langosch, Karin

N1 - Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PY - 2017/6

Y1 - 2017/6

N2 - Although altered glycosylation has been detected in human cancer cells decades ago, only investigations in the last years have enormously increased our knowledge about the details of protein glycosylation and its role in tumour progression. Many proteins, which are heavily glycosylated, i.e. adhesion proteins or proteases, play an important role in cancer metastasis that represents the crucial and frequently life-threatening step in progression of most tumour types. Compared to normal tissue, tumour cells often show altered glycosylation patters with appearance of new tumour-specific antigens. In this review, we give an overview about the role of glycosylation in tumour metastasis, describing recent results about O-glycans, N-glycans and glycosaminoglycans. We show that glycan structures, glycosylated proteins and glycosylation enzymes have influence on different steps of the metastatic process, including epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), migration, invasion/intravasation and extravasation of tumour cells. Regarding the important role of cancer metastasis for patients survival, further knowledge about the consequences of altered glycosylation patterns in tumour cells is needed which might eventually lead to the development of novel therapeutic approaches.

AB - Although altered glycosylation has been detected in human cancer cells decades ago, only investigations in the last years have enormously increased our knowledge about the details of protein glycosylation and its role in tumour progression. Many proteins, which are heavily glycosylated, i.e. adhesion proteins or proteases, play an important role in cancer metastasis that represents the crucial and frequently life-threatening step in progression of most tumour types. Compared to normal tissue, tumour cells often show altered glycosylation patters with appearance of new tumour-specific antigens. In this review, we give an overview about the role of glycosylation in tumour metastasis, describing recent results about O-glycans, N-glycans and glycosaminoglycans. We show that glycan structures, glycosylated proteins and glycosylation enzymes have influence on different steps of the metastatic process, including epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), migration, invasion/intravasation and extravasation of tumour cells. Regarding the important role of cancer metastasis for patients survival, further knowledge about the consequences of altered glycosylation patterns in tumour cells is needed which might eventually lead to the development of novel therapeutic approaches.

KW - Journal Article

KW - Review

U2 - 10.1016/j.semcancer.2017.03.002

DO - 10.1016/j.semcancer.2017.03.002

M3 - SCORING: Review article

C2 - 28315783

VL - 44

SP - 141

EP - 152

JO - SEMIN CANCER BIOL

JF - SEMIN CANCER BIOL

SN - 1044-579X

ER -