Expression of alpha1-6 fucosyltransferase in rat tissues and human cancer cell lines.
GDP-L-Fuc:N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminide alpha1-6 fucosyltransferase (alpha1-6FucT) catalyzes the transfer of a fucosyl residue from GDP-fucose to the asparagine-linked GlcNAc residue of complex N-glycans via alpha1-6 linkage. These oligosaccharide structures are essential for the attachment of polysialic acid to the neural-cell-adhesion molecule, and its levels are useful for the differential diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinomas with respect to the microheterogeneity of alpha-fetoprotein. We have been successful in the purification and cDNA cloning of alpha1-6FucT from porcine brain and from a human gastric-cancer cell line. In the present study, mRNA expression of alpha1-6FucT in various rat tissues and human cancer cell lines was examined, along with the expression of alpha1-6FucT mRNA and the induction by treatment with several cytokines. Northern-blot analysis indicated high expression levels of alpha1-6FucT in brain and gastrointestinal-tract tissues of normal rats, as well as for a number of lung-cancer, gastric-cancer and colon-cancer cell lines. Although various cytokines did not induce alpha1-6FucT mRNA, differentiation of a tumor cell enhanced the mRNA by 2- to 3-fold. These results may provide new insight into studies on alpha1-6FucT in terms of carcinogenesis or differentiation.
Miyoshi
E
E
Department of Biochemistry, Osaka University Medical School, Suita, Japan.
Uozumi
N
N
Noda
K
K
Hayashi
N
N
Hori
M
M
Taniguchi
N
N
D000818:Animals; D001216:Asparagine; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D001921:Brain / Q000201:enzymology; D002236:Carbohydrate Conformation; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000175:diagnosis; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005647:Fucosyltransferases / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D019006:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000378:metabolism; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D009928:Organ Specificity; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012794:Sialic Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology*; D013552:Swine; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D019006:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules; D009844:Oligosaccharides; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012794:Sialic Acids; C021319:polysialic acid; D001216:Asparagine; D005647:Fucosyltransferases; C020559:Glycoprotein 6-alpha-L-fucosyltransferase