Mucins and mucin-associated carbohydrate antigens expression in gastric carcinoma cell lines

Mucins are high-molecular-mass glycoproteins with high carbohydrate content and marked heterogeneity both in the apoprotein and in the oligosaccharide side chains. Mucin genes are expressed in a regulated manner, namely in the human stomach. The first aim of the present study was to characterise the expression of mucins and mucin-associated carbohydrate antigens in seven gastric carcinoma cell lines, and to compare their expression profiles with those of normal gastric tissues and human gastric carcinomas. Secondly, we aimed to see whether or not there is an association between the expression of mucins and mucin-associated carbohydrate antigens. Our results show that mucin expression in gastric carcinoma cell lines: (a) follows in part the mucin expression profile of normal gastric mucosa and gastric carcinomas with wide expression of MUC1 and MUC5AC; (b) parallels the aberrant pattern of mucin expression observed in human gastric carcinomas with occasional expression of MUC2, MUC3, MUC4 and MUC5B; (c) does not include, at least in our series, the expression of MUC6 mucin; and (d) follows in part the differentiation pattern of the carcinomas from which the cell lines originated, keeping S-Tn expression in cell lines derived from glandular carcinomas. Our results further demonstrate that there is no apparent relationship between the mucin core proteins and the simple mucin-type or Lewis carbohydrate antigens. Received: 19 April 1999 / Accepted: 23 June 1999