title: Carbohydrate antigens on cancer-associated mucin-like molecules.
abstract: Mucins are large molecular weight glycoproteins characterized by carbohydrate sugars attached via 'O-glycosidic' linkages to serine or threonine. Mucins are synthesized by a variety of epithelial tissues as membrane-bound or secreted proteins, encoded by several distinct mucin genes. Numerous alterations of mucin-associated carbohydrates can be detected in neoplastic epithelial tissues and on circulating mucins in patients with adenocarcinomas. The expression of various sialyosylated-carbohydrate epitopes may correlate with poor prognosis and enhanced metastatic disease in colorectal adenocarcinomas. Mucin-associated carbohydrate and peptide antigens are currently being investigated for their role in cancer diagnosis, monitoring for progression or metastases, immunotherapy and immunosuppression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Y S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000276:immunology; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000737:chemistry*; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D000939:Epitopes; D005752:Gastric Mucins; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009077:Mucins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D010455:Peptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D000939:Epitopes; D005752:Gastric Mucins; D009077:Mucins; D010455:Peptides; C053366:apomucin