alpha-2,3-Sialyltransferase type 3N and alpha-1,3-fucosyltransferase type VII are related to sialyl Lewis(x) synthesis and patient survival from lung carcinoma.
BACKGROUND
Biosynthesis of sialyl Lewis(x) (sLe(x)) requires a sialyltransferase for alpha-2,3-sialylation and a fucosyltransferase for alpha-1,3-fucosylation. To date, five human alpha-1,3-fucosyltransferase (Fuc-T) genes and five human alpha-2,3-sialyltransferase (ST) genes have been cloned. However, it is not known which enzyme is mainly responsible for sLe(x) synthesis.


METHODS
Three hundred thirteen patients with nonsmall cell lung carcinoma who had a curative tumor resection were the subjects of this study. Using tumor tissues fixed in formaldehyde, amplification of genomic DNA of Fuc-T and ST was performed by PCR and correlated with sLe(x) staining and patient prognosis.


RESULTS
The frequency of strong ST3N and Fuc-TVII amplification was significantly higher than that of STZ, ST4, Fuc-TIII, Fuc-TV, and Fuc-TVI amplification (P < 0.01). The frequency of sLe(x) staining was similar to ST3N and Fuc-TVII amplification. Survival of the patients whose tumors had strong amplification of both ST3N and Fuc-TVII was significantly shorter than that of patients whose tumors had no amplification of either gene (P < 0.01). In a multivariate analysis of survival, Fuc-TVII remained a statistically significant prognostic factor.


CONCLUSIONS
In lung carcinoma, ST3N and Fuc-TVII may both be related to sLe(x) synthesis, and Fuc-TVII is a more important indicator of poor prognosis.
Ogawa
J I
JI
First Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Tokai University, Japan.
Inoue
H
H
Koide
S
S
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005647:Fucosyltransferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005784:Gene Amplification; D006801:Humans; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D011379:Prognosis; D000080506:Sialyl Lewis X Antigen; D012799:Sialyltransferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013194:Staining and Labeling / Q000379:methods; D016019:Survival Analysis; D000094663:beta-Galactoside alpha-2,3-Sialyltransferase
D007527:Isoenzymes; D009844:Oligosaccharides; D000080506:Sialyl Lewis X Antigen; D005647:Fucosyltransferases; C031692:galactoside 3-fucosyltransferase; D012799:Sialyltransferases; D000094663:beta-Galactoside alpha-2,3-Sialyltransferase; C000722087:ST3GAL1 protein, human