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Cancer‐associated elevation of α(1 → 3)‐l‐fucosyltransferase activity in human serum
Author(s) -
Yazawa Shin,
Madiyalakan Ragupathy,
Matta Khushi L.,
Izawa Hideaki,
Asao Takayuki,
Furukawa Ken
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19880801)62:3<516::aid-cncr2820620313>3.0.co;2-4
Subject(s) - fucosyltransferase , medicine , enzyme , enzyme assay , cancer , malignancy , ovarian cancer , fucose , gastroenterology , endocrinology , biochemistry , biology , galactose
GDP‐fucose:N‐acetylglucosaminide α(1 → 3)‐L‐fucosyltransferase activity was measured in sera of patients with various cancers using a synthetic substrate, N‐acetyl‐2′‐O‐methyllactosamine, as an acceptor. One hundred twenty‐four of the 169 patients showed significantly high levels of the enzyme activity when compared to healthy controls, irrespective of the location of their tumor. However, enzyme levels were in the normal range in patients with non‐neoplastic diseases, such as infectious disease, liver disease, and other inflammatory problems as well as in leukemic patients. The chromatofocusing profile of the enzyme using PBE‐94 gel over a pH grandient from pH 6.0 to 4.0 demonstrated that the level of the enzyme eluted at pH 5.4 was markedly elevated in the sera of stomach and ovarian cancer patients. A correlation was established between α(1 → 3)‐L‐fucosyltransferase activity and the presence of malignancy which may be used to evaluate the utility of the enzyme as a tumor marker.