Changes in a specific type of sugarlike molecule, or glycan, on the surface of cancer cells help them to spread into other tissues, according to researchers at the University of California, Davis.
Changes in a specific type of sugarlike molecule, or glycan, on the surface of cancer cells help them to spread into other tissues, according to researchers at the University of California, Davis. Published March 23 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the work could lead to diagnostic tests and new therapies to slow or stop the spread of cancers.
The research team led by Professor Carlito Lebrilla, UC Davis Department of Chemistry, worked with cells derived from a human cholangiocarcinoma, or bile duct cancer. Cholangiocarcinoma is relatively rare but becoming more common in the U.S. It metastasizes readily and is often incurable by the time of diagnosis.
Generally, researchers have studied how cancer cells spread by looking at the proteins on their surface membranes. Some of these proteins may serve as receptors that engage with other cells, allowing cancerous cells to attach and move into tissues.
But proteins on living cells are also coated with a wide variety of sugarlike carbohydrate molecules called glycans. These glycans modify how proteins — and therefore the cells — interact with their environment. While DNA dictates the protein’s structure, glycans and carbohydrates are made and metabolized by the protein’s own machinery. That makes studying these molecules even more challenging.
Read more at University of California - Davis
Image: Professor Carlito Lebrilla, UC Davis Department of Chemistry, in his lab. Lebrilla’s team studies glycans, sugarlike molecules attached to proteins on the surface of cells. Changes in these glycans allow cholangiocarcinoma cells to become more aggressive in invading tissues, they found. The work could open new targets for cancer diagnosis and treatment. (Photo by Gregory Urquiaga, UC Davis).
