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Glycosylation Changes in Brain Cancer

Lucas Veillon1, Christina Fakih2, Hadi Abou-El-Hassan2

  • 1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University , Lubbock Texas 79409, United States.

ACS Chemical Neuroscience
|October 6, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Aberrant protein glycosylation, particularly altered sialylation and fucosylation, significantly impacts brain cancer development and progression. Understanding these glycan changes offers new avenues for early detection and targeted cancer therapeutics.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
  • Oncology
  • Glycoscience

Background:

  • Protein glycosylation is a critical posttranslational modification influencing over half of all proteins.
  • Glycans modulate protein function, conformation, stability, and turnover through direct and indirect mechanisms.
  • Aberrant glycosylation patterns are increasingly recognized in various pathologies, including cancer.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the role of aberrant glycosylation in brain cancer development and progression.
  • To explore the clinical potential of aberrant glycosylation in brain cancer detection and treatment.
  • To discuss the implications of cancer-glycoproteomics and personalized medicine in the context of brain cancer.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review focusing on studies investigating protein glycosylation in brain cancer.
  • Analysis of N- and O-glycan alterations, including sialylation and fucosylation.
  • Examination of glycoproteomics data and its application in personalized medicine for brain cancer.

Main Results:

  • Altered sialylation and fucosylation of N- and O-glycans are implicated in brain cancer initiation and advancement.
  • Aberrant O-glycan expression is specifically linked to the pathogenesis of brain tumors.
  • Glycoprotein alterations serve as a hallmark of cancer, with elevated expression in body fluids indicating potential for assessment.

Conclusions:

  • Aberrant glycosylation represents a significant factor in brain cancer biology.
  • Targeting aberrant glycans holds promise for developing novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for brain cancer.
  • Glycoproteomics and personalized medicine approaches are crucial for leveraging glycosylation changes in clinical applications.
Keywords:
Brain canceraberrant glycosylationbone marrow-derived human mesenchymal stem cellscancer stem cellscarcinoembryonic antigencentral nervous systemglioblastomaglioma stem cellsglycosylationhuman mucin familyposttranslational modification of proteinssmall cell lung carcinomas

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