Decreased expression of gastric gland mucin-specific glycan alpha 1,4-linked N-acetylglucosamine on its scaffold mucin 6 is associated with malignant potential of pyloric gland adenoma of the stomach

摘要

Aims: Pyloric gland adenoma (PGA) is a unique gastric neoplasm expressing mucin 6 (MUC6), and is often associated with high-grade dysplasia and/or adenocarcinoma. MUC6 secreted from the gastric gland mucous cells, such as pyloric gland cells, carries unique O-glycans with terminal alpha 1,4-linked N-acetylglucosamine (alpha GlcNAc) residues on its molecule. As we recently demonstrated that alpha GlcNAc serves as a tumour suppressor for gastric adenocarcinoma, this study aimed to investigate the significance of alpha GlcNAc expression in PGA.