Can glycoprofiling be helpful in detecting prostate cancer?

Abstract

Glycans are chains of carbohydrates attached to proteins (glycoproteins and proteoglycans) or lipids (glycolipids). Glycosylation is a posttranslational modification and glycans have a wide range of functions in a human body including involvement in oncological diseases. Change in a glycan structure cannot only indicate presence of a pathological process, but more importantly in some cases also its stage. Thus, a glycan analysis has a potential to be an effective and reliable tool in cancer diagnostics. Lectins are proteins responsible for natural biorecognition of glycans, even carbohydrate moieties still attached to proteins or whole cells can be recognized by lectins, what makes them an ideal candidate for designing label-free biosensors for glycan analysis. In this review we would like to summarize evidence that glycoprofiling of biomarkers by lectin-based biosensors can be really helpful in detecting prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer diagnostics: Clinical challenges and the ongoing need for disruptive and effective diagnostic tools

“…In addition to this, glycoprofiling of biomarkers could also be helpful for the early detection of prostate cancer (Belicky and Tkac, 2015). Aberrant glycosylation patterns are typical of tumour cells and altered glycan structures in PSA have been reported in prostate cancer (Gilgunn et al, 2013).…”

Sensitive detection and glycoprofiling of a prostate specific antigen using impedimetric assays

“…Thus, new and more reliable methods for PCa diagnosis are needed. Biomarker discovery in the field of PCa diagnosis and prognosis is therefore focused on novel targets such as circulating microRNAs4, gene fusions5, exosomes6 or changes in the glycan structure7 of PSA.…”

“…Lectins applied in a microarray format despite providing high throughput of analysis cannot detect low level of glycans (LOD in sub nM level) and there is a requirement to use a label 15. Thus, other detection platforms, which can offer high sensitivity of detection working in a label-free mode of operation are intensively sought 7b, 13, 16…”

Distribution Profile and Function of Carbohydrate Residues in Testes of Immature and Mature Sunda Porcupine (Hystrix javanica).

“…Lectin histochemical staining with LCA, PHA-L, SJA, PSA, and WGA indicated the presence of alpha-D-mannose and alpha-D-glucose, N-acetylgalactosamine, mannose, and N-acetylglucosamine residues (Murakami et al, 2014;Belicky and Tkac, 2015) in the immature and mature testes.…”