title: Glycosylation in Cancer: Interplay between Multidrug Resistance and Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition?
abstract: The expression of unusual glycan structures is a hallmark of cancer progression, and their functional roles in cancer biology have been extensively investigated in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) models. EMT is a physiological process involved in embryonic development and wound healing. It is characterized by loss of epithelial cell polarity and cell adhesion, permitting cell migration, and thus formation of new epithelia. However, this process is unwanted when occurring outside their physiological limit, resulting in fibrosis of organs and progression of cancer and metastasis. Several studies observed that EMT is related to the acquisition of multidrug resistance (MDR) phenotype, a condition in which cancer cells acquire resistance to multiple different drugs, which has virtually nothing in common. However, although some studies suggested interplay between these two apparently distinct phenomena, almost nothing is known about this possible relationship. A common pathway to them is the need for glycosylation, a post-translational modification that can alter biological function. Thus, this review intends to compile the main facts obtained until now in these two areas, as an effort to unravel the relationship between EMT and MDR.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Glicobiologia, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro , Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro , Brazil.
authors.forename: Leonardo Marques
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: da Fonseca
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Glicobiologia, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro , Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro , Brazil.
authors.forename: Vanessa Amil
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Glicobiologia, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro , Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro , Brazil.
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Freire-de-Lima
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Glicobiologia, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro , Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro , Brazil.
authors.forename: José Osvaldo
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Previato
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Glicobiologia, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro , Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro , Brazil.
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mendonça-Previato
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Glicobiologia, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Laboratório de P&D em Práticas Integrativas e Complementares, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Márcia Alves Marques
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Capella
keywords: ABC transporters dependent drug resistance; cancer; epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition; glycosylation; multidrug resistance