摘要

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.

  • 出版日期2014