The cancer glycome: Carbohydrates as mediators of metastasis

Glycosylation is a frequent post-translational modification which results in the addition of carbohydrate determinants, “glycans”, to cell surface proteins and lipids. These glycan structures form the “glycome” and play an integral role in cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions through modulation of adhesion and cell trafficking.Glycosylation is increasingly recognized as a modulator of the malignant phenotype of cancer cells, where the interaction between cells and the tumor micro-environment is altered to facilitate processes such as drug resistance and metastasis.

Source: Blood Reviews - January 23, 2015 Category: Hematology Authors: Siobhan V. Glavey, Daisy Huynh, Michaela R. Reagan, Salomon Manier, Michele Moschetta, Yawara Kawano, Aldo M. Roccaro, Irene M. Ghobrial, Lokesh Joshi, Michael E. O’Dwyer Tags: REVIEW Source Type: research