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Up‐regulation of Lewis enzyme (Fuc‐TIII) and plasma‐type α1,3Fucosyltransferase (Fuc‐TVI) expression determines the augmented expression of sialyl Lewis x antigen in non‐small cell lung cancer
Author(s) -
Togayachi Akira,
Kudo Takashi,
Ikehara Yuzuru,
Iwasaki Hiroko,
Nishihara Shoko,
Andoh Toshiwo,
Higashiyama Masahiko,
Kodama Ken,
Nakamori Shoji,
Narimatsu Hisashi
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0215(19990924)83:1<70::aid-ijc14>3.0.co;2-k
Subject(s) - lewis lung carcinoma , sialyl lewis x , antigen , lung cancer , enzyme , microbiology and biotechnology , cancer , mucin , cancer research , chemistry , biology , immunology , pathology , biochemistry , medicine , genetics , cell adhesion molecule , selectin , metastasis
Sialyl Lewis a and x antigens are well‐known tumor‐associated antigens expressed in many cancer tissues. The expression of the genes encoding 5 α1,3fucosyltransferases, which are able to synthesize the sialyl Lewis antigens, was examined in normal and cancerous lung tissues of patients with non‐small cell lung carcinoma. In all 20 cases examined, the transcripts only for the Lewis gene, encoding the Lewis enzyme (α1,3/4fucosyltransferase, Fuc‐TIII), were abundantly expressed in lung tissue, and interestingly they were markedly up‐regulated in the lung cancer tissues of all 20 cases in comparison with normal lung tissues. Myeloid‐type α1,3fucosyltransferase (Fuc‐TIV) was expressed at an intermediate level but was not up‐regulated in lung cancer tissues. The transcripts for plasma‐type α1,3fucosyltransferase (Fuc‐TVI) gene were detected at a very low level but were apparently up‐regulated in cancer tissues. Fuc‐TVI was found to exhibit stronger relative activity for sialyl Lewis x synthesis (almost 6.4‐fold that of Fuc‐TIII). The amount of sialyl Lewis x antigen on mucins in the lung cancer tissues was found to be determined by both enzymes, the Lewis enzyme (Fuc‐TIII) and Fuc‐TVI. However, the amount of the sialyl Lewis a antigens was not determined by any of the α1,3‐fucosyltransferases, although the expression of sialyl Lewis a antigens definitely required the Lewis enzyme. Int. J. Cancer 83:70–79, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.