title: Two opposing roles of O-glycans in tumor metastasis.
abstract: Despite the high prevalence of metastatic cancers and the poor outcome for patients, the processes of tumor metastasis still remain poorly understood. It has been shown that cell-surface carbohydrates attached to proteins through the amino acids serine or threonine (O-glycans) are involved in tumor metastasis, with the roles of O-glycans varying depending on their structure. Core2 O-glycans allow tumor cells to evade natural killer (NK) cells of the immune system and survive longer in the circulatory system, thereby promoting tumor metastasis. Core3 O-glycans or O-mannosyl glycans suppress tumor formation and metastasis by modulating integrin-mediated signaling. Here, we highlight recent advances in our understanding of the detailed molecular mechanisms by which O-glycans promote or suppress tumor metastasis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Oyokyo Kidney Research Institute, 90 Kozawa Yamazaki, Hirosaki 036-8243, Japan. tsuboi@oyokyo.jp
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsuboi
authors.forename: Shingo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hatakeyama
authors.forename: Chikara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ohyama
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fukuda
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D016023:Integrins / Q000378:metabolism; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000276:immunology*; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D016023:Integrins; D011134:Polysaccharides