Sialic acid is a biomarker of systemic inflammation. CD BioGlyco has developed several efficient strategies that are used for sialic acid level analysis in cervical cancer research. Welcome customers from all over the world to cooperate with us!
Cervical cancer is the fourth most common female malignancy worldwide, with more than 500,000 women diagnosed each year. Almost all cases of cervical cancer are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Most HPV infections resolve spontaneously, but persistent HPV infections can slowly progress to cervical cancer. Prevention and screening are effective ways to reduce the incidence of cervical cancer. Although the Pap test has been successful in cervical cancer screening, its sensitivity is low. Therefore, the researchers are turning to genomic and proteomic approaches to develop new diagnostic tools for cervical cancer.
Glycosylation is a highly abundant post-translational modification involved in many key physiological and pathological processes. Accumulating evidence indicates that glycans are involved in the differentiation, migration, adhesion, invasion, and other processes of cancer cells. Therefore, aberrant glycosylation is a reliable cancer marker for detection, prognosis, and therapeutic monitoring. Increased sialylation and fucosylation are associated with tumorigenicity, invasiveness, and metastatic capacity of cancer tissues.
Fig.1 The vital roles of glycosylation in physiological and pathological processes. (Xu, 2021)
Studies have shown that changes in sialylation and fucosylation are related to the early onset of cervical cancer. Increased sialylation and decreased fucosylation expression in individuals with cervical cancer compared to normal tissue. In cervical cancer tissue, the transition of glycoprotein sialylated oligosaccharides leads to changes in sialylated expression before cancer progression and metastasis. Sialyltransferase I (ST6Gal 1) is an important glycosyltransferase that catalyzes the synthesis of α2,6-linked sialic acid, enabling altered α2,6-linked sialylation to modulate cervical cancer behavior. The mRNA expression of ST6Gal 1 is significantly increased in cervical cancer tissues, and its "liver" promoter is thought to be affected by the malignant transformation. Many types of sialyltransferases serve as independent markers of advanced cervical cancer with distinct oncogenic changes associated with biological processes such as cancer metastasis and survival.
Fig.2 The participation of dysregulated glycosylation in cervical cancer progression. (Xu, 2021)
To identify potential glycoprotein biomarkers in cancer, glycosylation changes are detected using Sialic Acids Specific Lectin. Wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) and Helix pomatia agglutinin (HPA) are used in lectin histochemistry for high-grade identification of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.
To help researchers better analyze sialic acid in cancer, CD BioGlyco has been working on sialic acid research for many years and has accumulated rich experience. We have developed systematic Strategies for Sialic Acid Analysis. Please feel free to contact us if you have analytical needs for sialic acid in cervical cancer.
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