Sweetening the Pot: Adding Glycosylation to the Biomarker Discovery Equation

摘要: Background: Cancer has profound effects on gene expression, including a cell’s glycosylation machinery. Thus, tumors produce glycoproteins that carry oligosaccharides with structures are markedly different from the same protein produced by normal cell. A single can have many sites greatly amplify signals they generate compared their backbones. Content: In this article, we survey clinical tests target carbohydrate modifications for diagnosing and treating cancer. We present biological relevance of to disease progression highlighting role these play in adhesion, signaling, metastasis then address current methodological approaches biomarker discovery capitalize selectively capturing tumor-associated glycoforms enrich identify disease-related candidate analytes. Finally, discuss emerging technologies—multiple reaction monitoring lectin-antibody arrays—as potential tools validation studies pursuit clinically useful tests. Summary: The future carbohydrate-based arrived. At all stages, through verification deployment into clinics, should be considered primary readout or way increasing sensitivity specificity protein-based analyses.