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Review
. 2021 Apr 22;13(9):2014.
doi: 10.3390/cancers13092014.

Aberrant Sialylation in Cancer: Biomarker and Potential Target for Therapeutic Intervention?

Silvia Pietrobono  1 , Barbara Stecca  1
Affiliations
Review

Aberrant Sialylation in Cancer: Biomarker and Potential Target for Therapeutic Intervention?

Silvia Pietrobono et al. Cancers (Basel). .

Abstract

Sialylation is an integral part of cellular function, governing many biological processes including cellular recognition, adhesion, molecular trafficking, signal transduction and endocytosis. Sialylation is controlled by the levels and the activities of sialyltransferases on glycoproteins and lipids. Altered gene expression of these enzymes in cancer yields to cancer-specific alterations of glycoprotein sialylation. Mounting evidence indicate that hypersialylation is closely associated with cancer progression and metastatic spread, and can be of prognostic significance in human cancer. Aberrant sialylation is not only a result of cancer, but also a driver of malignant phenotype, directly impacting key processes such as tumor cell dissociation and invasion, cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions, angiogenesis, resistance to apoptosis, and evasion of immune destruction. In this review we provide insights on the impact of sialylation in tumor progression, and outline the possible application of sialyltransferases as cancer biomarkers. We also summarize the most promising findings on the development of sialyltransferase inhibitors as potential anti-cancer treatments.

Keywords: angiogenesis; biomarker; cancer; cell death; immune evasion; inhibitors; invasion; metastasis; sialyltransferases; survival.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Roles of sialyltransferases in cancer. Indicated are STs (in black) and their proposed targets or downstream mediators (in blue). Abbreviations used in the figure are listed in the “Abbreviation” section.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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