Progression and Metastasis of Mammary Carcinomas: Potential Role of the Muc-1 Clycoprotein.
Abstract
MUCi is a large heavily glycosylated membrane mucin glycoprotein which is overexpressed and aberrantly glycosylated by the majority of caricnomas and in particular, by >92% of primary and metastatic breast cancers. It is hypothesized that overexpression of the MUC 1 protein by carcinoma cells may confer an advantage upon the cell, perhaps by reducing the adhesive properties of cells and/or by modulating the immunogenicity of the tumor cells. Mice homozygous for the null mutation are healthy, fertile and do not display any obvious pathology. However, Muc-l deficient mice demonstrate significantly slower growth of polyoma vims middle T antigen induced mammary tumors compared with wild type controls. Depletion of NK cells did not result in significant changes in mammary tumor growth rate in either Muc-l deficient or wild type mice, but genetic background of the mice complicated evaluation of the study. Overall, these data demonstrate for the first time that Muc- I expression can significantly affect the growth of breast cancer cells.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA340954
Entities
People
- Gerald J. Rowse
Organizations
- Mayo Clinic Scottsdale