Fucosylated glycoproteins as markers of liver disease

Issue title: Disease related glycosylation changes and biomarker discovery: Challenges and possibilities in an emerging field

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Mehta, Anand | Block, Timothy M.

Affiliations: Drexel University College of Medicine, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel Institute for Biotechnology and Virology, 3805 Old Easton Road, Doylestown, PA 18902, USA. Tel.: 215 489 4905; Fax: 215 489 4920

Note: [] Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract: Changes in N-linked glycosylation are known to occur during the development of various diseases. For example, increased branching of oligosaccharides has been associated with cancer metastasis and has been correlated to tumor progression in human cancers of the breast, colon and melanomas. Increases in core fucosylation have also been associated with the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Recently, changes in both the total serum glycome and the glycosylation of specific IgG molecules have been observed in people with liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. The mechanisms by which changes in glycosylation are observed and their use as biomarkers of disease will be discussed.

Keywords: Hepatitis B virus, Hepatitis C virus, fucosylation, liver fibrosis, liver cancer

Journal: Disease Markers, vol. 25, no. 4-5, pp. 259-265, 2008