Expression of N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase V in endometrial cancer correlates with poor prognosis.
N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase V (GnT-V) is an enzyme that catalyses beta1-6 branching of N-acetylglucosamine on asparagine-linked oligosaccharides of cell proteins. The present study aimed to investigate GnT-V expression and its prognostic significance in endometrial cancer. N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase V expression was studied by immunohistochemistry in 74 surgically resected endometrial cancers, and the staining intensity was evaluated. High GnT-V expression in tumour cells was found in 43 (58.1%) of the 74 cases, and was positively correlated with advanced patient age, histological grade, and lymph vascular space involvement. Patients with high GnT-V expression had significantly impaired overall survival and progression-free survival (PFS) (P=0.0041 and P=0.0023, respectively) compared to patients with low expression of GnT-V. On multivariate analysis, GnT-V expression was an independent prognostic factor for PFS (P=0.0364). beta1-6 branching of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides was also detected in GnT-V-positive endometrial cancer cells by leukoagglutinating phytohaemagglutinin (L(4)-PHA) staining, and the molecular size of the major glycoproteins recognised by L(4)-PHA was approximately 60-200 kDa by lectin blot analysis. These results suggested that high GnT-V expression was correlated with an unfavourable clinical outcome, and that GnT-V is involved in the malignant potential of endometrial cancer by increasing the synthesis of beta1-6 branching of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides.
Yamamoto
E
E
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan. yamaeiko@med.nagoya-u.ac.jp
Ino
K
K
Miyoshi
E
E
Shibata
K
K
Takahashi
N
N
Kajiyama
H
H
Nawa
A
A
Nomura
S
S
Nagasaka
T
T
Kikkawa
F
F
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015153:Blotting, Western; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D017351:N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferases / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis
D017351:N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferases; C052254:alpha-1,6-mannosylglycoprotein beta 1,6-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase