Mucins: structure, function, and associations with malignancy

• Published in: BioEssays Vol. 14; no. 9; p. 619
• Main Authors: Devine, P L, McKenzie, I F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.09.1992
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Antibodies, Monoclonal - therapeutic use; Carbohydrate Sequence; Glycosylation; Humans; Immunotherapy, Active; Mice; Molecular Sequence Data; Mucins - chemistry; Mucins - physiology; Neoplasm Proteins - physiology; Neoplasms - diagnosis; Neoplasms - metabolism; Neoplasms - therapy; Protein Processing, Post-Translational
• ISSN: 0265-9247
• DOI: 10.1002/bies.950140909

Mucins are a family of high molecular weight, highly glycosylated glycoproteins found in the apical cell membrane of human epithelial cells from the mammary gland, salivary gland, digestive tract, respiratory tract, kidney, bladder, prostate, uterus and rete testis. Increased synthesis of the core protein and alterations in the carbohydrates attached to these glycoproteins are believed to play important roles in the function and proliferation of tumour cells. Aberrant glycosylation leads not only to the production of novel carbohydrate structures, but also to the exposure of the core peptide. These novel epitopes may be candidates for diagnosis or therapy, by using either synthetic mucin fragments as vaccines, or monoclonal antibody-based reagents which detect these structures.