CARCINOMA-ASSOCIATED MUCINS - MOLECULAR-BIOLOGY AND CLINICAL-APPLICATIONS

Mucin is a viscous secretion of glycoproteins secreted by epithelial c ells of normal and cancerous tissues. Excessive and abnormal mucin syn thesis has been observed in a number of cancers. The conformation and configuration of the surface carbohydrates play a key role in generati ng multiple forms of mucins in different cancers. The epitopes on the surface of mucin are recognized by antibodies present in different can cer cells. The primary structure of some of the cancer-associated muci ns has been determined by molecular cloning of their complementary DNA s. The detection methods for cancer-associated mucins and their clinic al applications are discussed.