Mucins are high molecular weight glycoproteins that are synthesized by epithelial cells and serve several functions that include lubrication, cell signaling, and the formation of chemical barriers. MUC16 (also named CA125), a member of the mucins family, is overexpressed in breast, ovarian and pancreatic tumors and plays an important role in progression and metastasis. MUC16 has cytoplasmic, transmembrane, and extracellular components that harbor variable O- and N-glycosylation sites. The peptide component of MUC16 has approximately 22,152 amino acids. The N-terminal domain of MUC16 has 12,000 amino acids and exclusively harbors O-glycosylation. A considerable portion of its peptide component is composed of the tandem repeat region with 60+ repeats of 156 amino acids. MUC16 harbors about 56 sea-urchin, enterokinase, and agrin (SEA) domains. SEA domain is a shared feature among mucins, and this domain is involved in the cleavage and association of MUC16 subunits. The transmembrane domain is followed by a 32 amino acids cytoplasmic tail with possible phosphorylation sites. MUC16 is cleaved from an extracellular site with approximately 12 amino acids from the plasma membrane. The cleavage product is a 17 kDa molecule that harbors the repetitive MUC16 epitope throughout its tandem repeat domains.
Fig.1 MUC16 structure. (Aithal, 2018)
MUC16 is overexpressed in many cancer types and plays an active role in ovarian tumorigenesis. The evidence indicates MUC16 is correlative with the development and worse prognosis of cancer.
Due to its aberrant overexpression, MUC16 is a promising target for diagnosis. Despite the identification of numerous new biomarkers, MUC16 is still superior to the majority of novel biomarkers, including human epididymis protein 4 (HE4). MUC16 is an indicator to monitor cancer recurrence and distinguish benign pelvic masses from ovarian cancer.
Fig.2 MUC16 interactome and possible therapeutic intervention. (Das, 2015)
MUC16 as a biomarker plays an important role in the screening, treatment, and follow-up phases of ovarian cancer management. Recent studies indicate that MUC16 can contribute to ovarian tumor growth and metastasis. Creative Biolabs provides a full set of MUC16 assay portfolio services, which including but not limited to
Creative Biolabs is committed to providing a series of customized tumor marker assay services (e.g., MUC16 assay portfolio service). We are proud to offer all range of services list to meet your various demands. We are consistent to deliver efficient and high-quality services within the shortest timeline. Please feel free to contact us.
References
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