Alterations in serum glycosyltransferases and 5'-nucleotidase in breast cancer patients.

We have measured sialyltransferase, galactosyltransferase, and fucosyltransferase as sell as 5'-nucleotidase in the serum of breast cancer patients. Serum sialyltransferase values in 65 normal healthy females ranged from 2.6 to 8.5 units, with a mean of 5.4. In 25 women with operable primary breast cancer, serum sialyltransferase levels were found to be between 6.2 and 15.4 units. Marked elevation of this enzyme level (range, 8.8 to 36 units) was observed in 48 patients with metastatic breast cancer. Galactosyltransferase and fucosyltransferase measurements, however, showed considerable overlap between the controls and the cancer patients. On the other hand serum 5'-nucleotidase and sialyltransferase in breast cancer patients showed very similar patterns. Thus, serum 5'-nucleotidase values in 44 normal females ranged from 11.4 to 23.2 units, whereas the levels found in 30 patients with metastasis were between 25 and 71.8 units. The tissue origin of abnormal levels of serum glycosyltransferases and 5'-nucleotidase was discussed in relation to their physiological significance as well as their role as markers for diagnosing early malignant breast neoplasm and for monitoring the extent of metastasis.

[1]  D. Kessel,et al.  Glycosyltransferase levels in tumors metastatic to liver and in uninvolved liver tissue. , 1977, Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

[2]  M. J. Freeman,et al.  Glycolipid-bound sialic acid in serum: increased levels in mice and humans bearing mammary carcinomas. , 1977, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[3]  W. Reutter,et al.  Elevated activities of α-2- and α-3-fucosyltransferases in human serum as a new indicator of malignancy☆ , 1977 .

[4]  D. Podolsky,et al.  Cancer-associated serum galactosyltransferase activity. Demonstration in an animal model system. , 1977, The Journal of biological chemistry.

[5]  D. Kessel,et al.  Alterations in plasma sialyltransferase levels in patients with neoplastic disease , 1977, Cancer.

[6]  U. Kim,et al.  Concomitant elevations in serum sialytransferase activity and sialic acid content in rats with metastasizing mammary tumors. , 1977, Science.

[7]  D. Kessel,et al.  Selective inhibition of a plasma fucosyltransferase by N-ethylmaleimide. , 1977, Biochemical and biophysical research communications.

[8]  D. Kessel,et al.  Alterations in plasma sialyltransferase associated with successful chemotherapy of a disseminated tumor. Case report , 1976, Cancer.

[9]  J. Montreuil,et al.  Ectogalactosyltransferase. Presence of enzyme and acceptors on the rat lymphocyte cell surface. , 1976, European journal of biochemistry.

[10]  J. Moskal,et al.  Lectin and cholera toxin binding to guinea pig tumor (104C1) cell surfaces before and after glycosphingolipid incorporation. , 1976, Biochemical and biophysical research communications.

[11]  H. G. Williams-Ashman,et al.  Glycoprotein glycosyltransferases in male reproductive organs and their hormonal regulation , 1976, Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology.

[12]  J. Barlow,et al.  Uridine 5'-diphosphate-galactose:glycoprotein galactosyltransferase activity in the ovarian cancer patient. , 1976, Cancer research.

[13]  D. Podolsky,et al.  Cancer-associated isoenzyme of serum galactosyltransferase. , 1976, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[14]  G. Ashwell,et al.  A hepatic receptor of avian origin capable of binding specifically modified glycoproteins. , 1976, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[15]  U. Kim,et al.  Plasma membrane associated enzymes of mammary tumours as the biochemical indicators of metastasizing capacity. Analyses of enriched plasma membrane preparations. , 1976, British Journal of Cancer.

[16]  D. Podolsky,et al.  Galactosyltransferase activities in human sera: detection of a cancer-associated isoenzyme. , 1975, Biochemical and biophysical research communications.

[17]  U. Kim,et al.  Immunological escape mechanism in spontaneously metastasizing mammary tumors. , 1975, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[18]  D. Kessel,et al.  Elevated plasma sialyltransferase in the cancer patient. , 1975, Cancer research.

[19]  J. Moskal,et al.  Changes in glycolipid glycosyltransferases and glutamate decarboxylase and their relationship to differentiation in neuroblastoma cells. , 1974, Biochemical and biophysical research communications.

[20]  R. Spiro,et al.  Structure of the O-glycosidically linked carbohydrate units of fetuin. , 1974, The Journal of biological chemistry.

[21]  R. Bernacki.  Plasma membrane ectoglycosyltransferase activity of L1210 murine leukemic cells , 1974, Journal of cellular physiology.

[22]  T. Hall,et al.  Enzyme activity in invasive tumors of human breast and colon. , 1974, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[23]  H. Schachter,et al.  The presence of two GDP-L-fucose: glycoproteine fucosyltransferases in human serum. , 1973, Archives of biochemistry and biophysics.

[24]  S. Roseman,et al.  Intracellular localization of liver sugar nucleotide glycoprotein glycosyltransferases in a Golgi-rich fraction. , 1970, The Journal of biological chemistry.

[25]  R. Spiro.  PERIODATE OXIDATION OF THE GLYCOPROTEIN FETUIN. , 1964, The Journal of biological chemistry.

[26]  D AMINOFF,et al.  Methods for the quantitative estimation of N-acetylneuraminic acid and their application to hydrolysates of sialomucoids. , 1961, The Biochemical journal.

[27]  R. Spiro.  Studies on fetuin, a glycoprotein of fetal serum. I. Isolation, chemical composition, and physiochemical properties. , 1960, The Journal of biological chemistry.

[28]  O. H. Lowry,et al.  Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. , 1951, The Journal of biological chemistry.