title: Correlation of glycosyltransferases mRNA expression in extrahepatic bile duct carcinoma with clinical pathological characteristics.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The incidence of extrahepatic bile duct carcinoma (EBDC) has been increasing, especially in aged people, but the glycobiology of the tumor is not elucidated. In this study we investigated the expressions of three glycosyltransferases in 35 patients with EBDC and 35 patients with benign biliary duct disease (BBDD) as well as their clinicopathological significance.
  
  
  METHODS
  The patients were divided into several subgroups by tumor differentiation, TNM stage, and invasion by the standards recommended by UICC. Tumor samples were immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen after resection, followed by mRNA determination of enzymes in the tissue using a mRNA selective reverse trancriptase-polymerase chain reaction kit. The mRNA levels of different groups were semi-quantitatively compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mRNA levels of N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase V (GnT-V) and a subtype of alpha 2,3 sialyltransferases for N-glycans, ST3Gal-III were elevated 7.75 and 5.39 times in EBDC as compared with BBDD, respectively, and they were correlated to several clinicopathological factors including tumor advancement, differentiation, metastasis, and invasiveness. The mRNA expression of another sialyltransferase, ST6Gal-I, was also 0.63-fold higher in EBDC than in BBDD, but not involved in the clinicopathological characteristics.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The elevated expression of these three glycosyltransferases can be considered as an important molecular event in the occurrence and progression of EBDC.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Nanjing First Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210006, China. xiaoling_jin@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Xiao-Ling
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Shu-Sen
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Bing-Sheng
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hui-Li
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001650:Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D017734:Bile Ducts, Extrahepatic; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D016695:Glycosyltransferases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016695:Glycosyltransferases