title: Serum fucosylated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) improves the differentiation of aggressive from non-aggressive prostate cancers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Clinically, it is still challenging to differentiate aggressive from non-aggressive prostate cancers (Pca) by non-invasive approaches. Our recent studies showed that overexpression of alpha (1-6) fucosyltransferase played an important role in Pca cells. In this study, we have investigated levels of glycoproteins and their fucosylated glycoforms in sera of Pca patients, as well as the potential utility of fucosylated glycoproteins in the identification of aggressive Pca.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum samples from histomorphology-proven Pca cases were included. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA), tissue inhibitor of metallopeptidase 1 (TIMP1) and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), and their fucosylated glycoforms were captured by Aleuria Aurantia Lectin (AAL), followed by the multiplex magnetic bead-based immunoassay. The level of fucosylated glycoproteins was correlated with patients' Gleason score of the tumor.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among three fucosylated glycoproteins, the fucosylated PSA was significantly increased and correlated with the tumor Gleason score (p<0.05). The ratio of fucosylated PSA showed a marked increase in aggressive tumors in comparison to non-aggressive tumors. ROC analysis also showed an improved predictive power of fucosylated PSA in the identification of aggressive Pca.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data demonstrated that fucosylated PSA has a better predictive power to differentiate aggressive tumors from non-aggressive tumors, than that of native PSA and two other glycoproteins. The fucosylated PSA has the potential to be used as a surrogate biomarker.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
authors.forename: Qing Kay
authors.initials: QK
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
authors.forename: Ming-Hui
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Ao
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
authors.forename: Joyce Hanching
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006031:Glycosylation; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D007610:Kallikreins / Q000097:blood* / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood* / Q000737:chemistry; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology*; D012372:ROC Curve; D044967:Serum / Q000737:chemistry*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D019715:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: C560822:TIMP1 protein, human; D019715:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1; C549870:KLK3 protein, human; D007610:Kallikreins; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen
keywords: TIMP1.; fucosylated glycoprotein; multiplex immunoassay; prostate cancer; prostate-specific antigen