alpha1,6fucosyltransferase is highly and specifically expressed in human ovarian serous adenocarcinomas

An elevated level of alpha1,6fucosylation in N-glycans represents one of the cancer-related alterations of oligosaccharides and is associated with the metastatic potential of hepatoma cells. However, expression of alpha1,6fucosyltransferase (alpha1,6FucT), which is involved in this aberrant glycosylation, has not been intensively explored in other malignant tumors. We report on a study of the expression of alpha1,6FucT in various types of epithelial ovarian carcinoma tissue, as well as normal ovary, benign and borderline ovarian tumors. The activity assay showed that alpha1,6FucT is highly and specifically elevated in serous adenocarcinomas but not in normal and other ovarian tumor tissues. This elevation was due to enhancement of mRNA expression, as evidenced by Northern blot analysis. Furthermore, we have shown immunohistochemically that alpha1,6FucT expression is localized predominantly in cancer cells. Lectin blot analysis using Lens culinaris agglutinin, which preferentially recognizes alpha1,6fucose residue, suggested that several glycoproteins were likely targets for modification by alpha1, 6fucosylation in serous adenocarcinoma tissues. These findings suggest that the elevated expression of alpha1,6FucT and the resulting modification of N-glycans are distinctive features of this type of ovarian cancer and may be related to the progression of this malignancy.