S. Yazawa et al., ABERRANT ALPHA-1-]2FUCOSYLTRANSFERASES FOUND IN HUMAN COLORECTAL-CARCINOMA INVOLVED IN THE ACCUMULATION OF LE(B) AND Y-ANTIGENS IN COLORECTA L TUMORS, Japanese journal of cancer research, 84(9), 1993, pp. 989-995
Evidence indicates that the presence of aberrant alpha --> 2fucosylati
on pathways is responsible for the accumulation of large quantities of
Le(b) and Y antigens in human colorectal carcinoma. Significantly hig
her activities of alpha1 --> 2 as well as alpha1 --> 3 and alpha1 -->
4fucosyltransferases were found in most of the tissues from carcinoma
than in the adjacent normal tissues and in healthy subjects. Alpha1 --
> 2Fucosyltransferases associated with the synthesis of Le(b) (Fucalph
a1 --> 2Galbeta1 -->3[Fucalpha1 --> 4]GlcNAcbeta) and Y (Fucalpha1 -->
2Galbeta1 -->4[Fucalpha1 --> 3]GlcNAcbeta) structures from Le(a) (Gal
beta1 --> 3[Fucalpha1 --> 4]GlcNAcbeta) and X (Galbeta1 --> 4[Fucalpha
1 --> 3]GlcNAcbeta) ones, respectively, were demonstrated in colorecta
l carcinomas and in colorectal carcinoma cell lines (COLO201, LS174T a
nd SW1116). The activation of alpha1 --> 2fucosyltransferase with such
new substrate specificities in colorectal carcinoma might result in t
he preferential synthesis of Le(b) and Y structures from Le(a) and X r
ather than from H type 1 and H type 2 structures.