Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0019204 (hepatocellular carcinoma)
 71,386 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The extracellular matrix adhesion molecule fibronectin exhibits different isoforms derived by alternative splicing as well as recently demonstrated variation in O-glycosylation. Although fibronectin is widely distributed in normal tissues, the individual isoforms have been found to show restricted tissue distribution and association with malignancies. The monoclonal antibody FDC-6 defines a cancer-associated de novo glycosylation of a specific threonine residue in the C-terminal region of the fibronectin molecule termed oncofetal fibronectin. Here we report an immunohistological study of oral squamous cell carcinomas (n = 33), premalignant lesions (n = 15), and normal oral mucosa (n = 10) using the FDC-6 antibody. A selective expression of the oncofetal fibronectin epitope was demonstrated in close relation to the invading carcinoma, whereas no staining was observed in premalignant lesions without epithelial dysplasia, or in normal epithelium. Furthermore, we attempted to identify additional carbohydrate-related epitopes distinguishing fibronectin of human hepatoma cell line HUH-7 from plasma fibronectin. No novel epitopes were identified, as all generated monoclonal antibodies lacking reactivity with plasma fibronectin showed the same specificity as FDC-6. Previous studies have indicated that the de novo glycosylation is induced by a novel transferase activity only found in fetal and carcinoma cell lines, placenta and hepatoma tissues. Here we provide further evidence that a purified UDP-GalNAc:peptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase from normal bovine thymus and human placentae is incapable of utilizing the hexapeptide VTHPGY as a substrate. The results demonstrate that oncofetal fibronectin is highly associated with malignancy, and appears to be induced by expression of a unique glycosyltransferase or modification of the specificity of the normally expressed transferase.
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PMID:Cancer-associated changes in glycosylation of fibronectin. Immunohistological localization of oncofetal fibronectin defined by monoclonal antibodies. 138

Previously, monoclonal antibody FDC-6 was established, which defines a structure specific for fibronectins isolated from fetal and malignant cells and tissues. The presence of the FDC-6-defined structure at type III connecting segment (III CS) is characteristic of oncofetal fibronectin (onf-FN), and its absence is characteristic of normal fibronectin (nor-FN) (Matsuura, H., and Hakomori, S. (1985) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 82, 6517-6521). Hepatoma fibronectin was sequentially digested by various proteases, followed by subsequent chromatography on an FDC-6 affinity column and reverse-phase columns at each step of digestion. A single strongly active glycosylhexapeptide (glycopeptide 1) and an inactive glycosylpentapeptide (glycopeptide 3) were isolated from glycopeptide A containing 35 amino acid residues. The minimum essential structure required for the FDC-6 activity was found to be a hexapeptide sequence Val-Thr-His-Pro-Gly-Tyr having NeuAc alpha 2----3Gal beta 1----3GalNAc or its core (Gal beta 1----3GalNAc or GalNAc) linked at threonine. Various synthetic peptides including the Val-Thr-His-Pro-Gly-Tyr sequence and a glycopeptide having the Val-Thr-His-Pro-Gly pentapeptide with the same glycosylation at threonine were all inactive. Elimination of sialic acid slightly increased the activity, and subsequent elimination of galactose did not alter the activity; however, removal of the Gal beta 1----3GalNAc residue by endo-alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminidase from desialylated glycopeptide A resulted in total inactivation of the reactivity with FDC-6 antibody. Thus, a single glycosylation at a defined threonine residue of the III CS region may induce conformational changes in the peptide to form the specific oncofetal epitope recognized by FDC-6 antibody. This finding opens the possibility that a number of other oncofetal epitopes consist of a peptide and a common O-linked carbohydrate and that the combination produces a conformation specific to cancer or to a stage of development.
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PMID:The oncofetal structure of human fibronectin defined by monoclonal antibody FDC-6. Unique structural requirement for the antigenic specificity provided by a glycosylhexapeptide. 244 38

The monoclonal antibody FDC-6 defines a structure specific to oncofetal fibronectins (onf-FN) isolated from fetal and malignant cells and tissues. The absence of this structure is characteristic of normal fibronectin (nor-FN) isolated from plasma and adult normal tissue (Matsuura, H., and Hakomori, S. (1985) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 82, 6517-6521). The minimum structure required for FDC-6 reactivity was determined to be Val-Thr-His-Pro-Gly-Tyr (VTHPGY) with alpha-N-acetylgalactosamine (alpha-GalNAc) at Thr, although alpha-GalNAc per se is not involved in the FDC-6 epitope (Matsuura, H., Takio, K., Titani, K., Greene, T., Levery, S. B., Salyan, M. E. K., and Hakomori, S. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 3314-3322). Thus, a single glycosylation on the normally occurring peptide of FN may induce conformational changes in the peptide to form the specific oncofetal epitope recognized by FDC-6 antibody. The FDC-6-nonreactive synthetic peptide containing the VTHPGY sequence was converted into FDC-6-reactive form on incubation with alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase and UDP-[3H]GalNAc in the homogenate of hepatoma cell HUH-7, human fetal fibroblast cell line WI-38, or human epidermoid carcinoma cell line A431. Such a conversion did not take place when the same enzyme fraction of normal adult tissue was incubated with the VTHPGY peptide under the same conditions. Thus, the occurrence of alpha-GalNAc transferase recognizing the VTHPGY peptide sequence (UDP-GalNAc:VTHPGY alpha-GalNAc transferase) is specific for fetal and cancer tissues, and absent in normal adult tissues. However, a similar alpha-GalNAc transferase activity capable of transferring the GalNAc residue to other Ser or Thr hydroxyl groups of nor-FN, and presumably located at the type III connecting segment region, was detectable in homogenate of various normal tissues. Such enzyme activity was determined with the use of enzymatically de-O-glycosylated nor-FN. Thus, the enzymatic basis of FDC-6 epitope formation is a subtle change in the substrate specificity of alpha-GalNAc transferase. The normal enzyme is incapable of transferring alpha-GalNAc from UDP-GalNAc to the Thr residue of the VTHPGY sequence, but is capable of transferring alpha-GalNAc to other Ser or Thr residues of FN. In contrast, alpha-GalNAc transferase of fetal and cancer tissues may have broader specificity and the capability to transfer GalNAc to Thr or Ser residues, including those of the VTHPGY sequence.
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PMID:An alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminylation at the threonine residue of a defined peptide sequence creates the oncofetal peptide epitope in human fibronectin. 247 5

An IgG1 monoclonal antibody, FDC-6, was established, which defines a unique fibronectin (FN) domain, located between the "Hep-2" and the "Fib-2" domains, in the COOH-terminal region of FNs isolated from hepatoma, sarcoma, and fetal fibroblasts. A systematic study with this antibody indicates the presence of two classes of human FNs. (i) FN from fetal connective tissue, placenta, amniotic fluid, hepatoma, and colon carcinoma as well as cell lines from fetal tissues (WI-38), hepatomas (HuH-6 and HuH-7), and sarcoma (VA13) was characterized by the presence of the FDC-6-defined domain and by a high molecular weight (subunit Mr, 310,000-335,000). (ii) In contrast, FN from normal adult tissues and plasma was characterized by a lower molecular weight (subunit Mr, 285,000-295,000) and lack of reactivity with FDC-6 and is therefore devoid of the FDC-6-defined domain. The FDC-6-defined domain is therefore called the "oncofetal" domain, and FN containing this domain is hereby called "oncofetal FN" (onf FN). The onf FN is similar to the previously known "cellular-form" FN. FN from normal adult tissues and plasma, lacking the oncofetal domain, is hereby called "normal FN" (nor FN). The nor FN is similar to the previously known "plasma-form" FN. Development of FN from fetal to adult form is associated with loss of the oncofetal domain defined by the FDC-6 antibody, and oncogenic transformation is associated with activation in synthesis of the oncofetal domain defined by the FDC-6 antibody.
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PMID:The oncofetal domain of fibronectin defined by monoclonal antibody FDC-6: its presence in fibronectins from fetal and tumor tissues and its absence in those from normal adult tissues and plasma. 299 69