Dual Roles of Gastric Gland Mucin-specific O-glycans in Prevention of Gastric Cancer

Gastric gland mucin is secreted from gland mucous cells, including pyloric gland cells and mucous neck cells located in the lower layer of the gastric mucosa. These mucins typically contain O-glycans carrying terminal alpha 1,4-linked N-acetylglucosamine residues (alpha GlcNAc) attached to the scaffold protein MUC6, and biosynthesis of the O-glycans is catalyzed by the glycosyltransferase, alpha 1,4-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (alpha 4GnT). We previously used expression cloning to isolate cDNA encoding alpha 4GnT, and then demonstrated that aGlcNAc functions as natural antibiotic against Helicobacter pylori, a microbe causing various gastric diseases including gastric cancer. More recently, it was shown that aGlcNAc serves as a tumor suppressor for differentiated-type adenocarcinoma. This review summarizes these findings and identifies dual roles for aGlcNAc in gastric cancer.
Article
ACTA HISTOCHEMICA ET CYTOCHEMICA. 47(1):1-9 (2014)