title: Tumor-specific glycosylation of the carcinoma-associated epithelial cell adhesion molecule EpCAM in head and neck carcinomas.
abstract: The tissue-specific glycosylation of the carcinoma (CA)-associated antigen epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) was studied in 60 patients suffering from head and neck CAs, and 26 pairs of autologous healthy thyroid and CA biopsies. EpCAM was glycosylated in all tumor samples in which its expression was detectable (73%). Additionally, in 80.7% of patients, tumor-derived EpCAM was heavily glycosylated while EpCAM derived from autologous thyroid was not (76.2%) or weakly (23.8%). Four cases showed a similar glycosylation pattern (15.3%) and one case displayed a reverse pattern (3.8%). Additionally, the expression and glycosylation of EpCAM were assessed in tumor adjacent and distant tissue. EpCAM was glycosylated in tumor-adjacent while it was not or only weakly expressed in tumor distant tissue where it was unglycosylated. Thus, EpCAM is differentially glycosylated in healthy tissue and tumor cells of the head and neck area.
authors.affiliation: Head and Neck Research, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Marchioninistr. 15, D-81377 Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Christof
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pauli
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Münz
authors.forename: Cuong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kieu
authors.forename: Brigitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mack
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Breinl
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wollenberg
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zeidler
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gires
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology*; D001706:Biopsy; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000378:metabolism*; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology*; D002460:Cell Line; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D000071858:Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D006031:Glycosylation; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007167:Immunotherapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D000071858:Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases