Expression of N-Acetylgalactosaminyltransferase-6 Is Related to Expression of Cell Adhesion Molecules in Endometrial Cancer

Abstract

Background: The aberrant glycosylation of mucin type O-glycans is thought to be associated with functional alteration of cancer cells, including adhesive properties, as well as their potential for invasion and metastasis. Positive expression of N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase-6 (GalNAc-T6) may also be a marker for aberrant O-glycans in carcinogenesis. We previously reported that over-expression of GalNAc-T6 had a strong association with endometrial cell invasion ability in vitro.

Materials and methods: This study investigated the relationship between GalNAc-T6 expression and cell adhesion molecules in 218 endometrial carcinomas by immunohistochemistry.

Results: Expression of GalNAc-T6 was found to be significantly related to expression of E-cadherin. Positive expression of GalNAc-T6 was significantly associated with better histological grade and good clinical prognosis of patients, but positive E-cadherin and β-catenin expression were not significantly associated with improved overall survival.

Conclusion: GalNAc-T6 might be related to cell-cell adhesion in the early phase of cancer invasion in endometrial carcinoma.

Keywords: O-Glycosylation; cell adhesion; endometrial carcinoma; polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase-6.