Glycosylation in Cervical Cancer: New Insights and Clinical Implications

Abstract

Cervical cancer has become the most frequent female malignancy and presents as a general health challenge in many countries undergoing economic development. Various human papillomaviruses (HPV) types have appeared as one of the most critically identifiable causes of widespread cervical cancers. Conventional cervical cytological inspection has limitations of variable sensitivity according to cervical cytology. Glycobiology has been fundamental in related exploration in various gynecologic and reproductive fields and has contributed to our understanding of cervical cancer. It is associated with altered expression of N-linked glycan as well as abnormal expression of terminal glycan structures. The analytical approaches available to determine serum and tissue glycosylation, as well as potential underlying molecular mechanisms involved in the cellular glycosylation alterations, are monitored. Moreover, cellular glycosylation influences various aspects of cervical cancer biology, ranging from cell surface expressions, cell-cell adhesion, cancer signaling, cancer diagnosis, and management. In general, discoveries in glycan profiling make it technically reproducible and affordable to perform serum glycoproteomic analyses and build on previous work exploring an expanded variety of glycosylation markers in the majority of cervical cancer patients.

Gene-behavior theory: Behavior from nil to tangible glycosylation-implications for cancer prognosis and treatment strategies

“…Furthermore, dramatic changes were observed in protein glycosylation levels in gastrointestinal track tumors (esophageal, gastric, and colorectal cancers), thereby generating molecular fingerprints (Fernandes et al, 2020). Similar tumor-specific glycosylation findings were also identified in ovarian, cervical, and breast carcinoma (Hu et al, 2020;Sakata-Matsuzawa et al, 2021;Lopes et al, 2021;Xu et al, 2021).…”

Prediction of the immunological and prognostic value of five signatures related to fatty acid metabolism in patients with cervical cancer

“…The enrichment of multiple signals is significantly different in different risk levels. Research has pointed out that one of the key mechanisms of signal transduction in CC cells is the glycosylation of proteins ( 38 ). As a glycoprotein on the cell surface, N-Glycon directly affects cell signal transduction and is the diagnostic target of malignant transformation in the early stage of CC ( 39 – 41 ).…”

Association of Glycosylation-Related Genes with Different Patterns of Immune Profiles and Prognosis in Cervical Cancer

“…Glycans play key roles in the pathological processes of tumorigenesis and advancement. There is reduced expression of fucosylation in CC cytoplasmic proteins compared to normal tissues [ 23 ]. During carcinogenesis, dysregulated glycosyltransferases synthesize aberrant glycosylation structures, supporting tumor progression.…”