Sequence-variant repeats of MUC1 show higher conformational flexibility, are less densely O-glycosylated and induce differential B lymphocyte responses

The human epithelial cancer mucin MUC1 is able to break tolerance and to induce humoral immune responses in healthy subjects and in cancer patients. We recently showed that clusters of sequence-variant repeats are interspersed in the repeat domain of MUC1 at high frequency, which should contribute to the structural and immunological features of the mucin. Here we elucidated the potential effects exerted by sequence-variant repeats on their O-glycosylation. Evidence from in vitro glycosylation with polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferases GalNAc-T1 and GalNAc-T2 in concert with mass spectrometric analyses of in vivo glycosylated MUC1 probes from transiently transfected HEK293 cells indicated reduced glycosylation densities of repeats with three concerted replacements: AHGVTSAPESRPAPGSTAPA. The Pro to Ala replacement in STAPA exerts not only proximal effects on the ppGalNAc-T2 preferred site at -3 and -4, but also more distant effects on the ppGalNAc-T1 preferred site at -15 (TSAPESRPAPGSTAPA). We also examined the conformational changes of MUC1 glycopeptides induced by the concerted DT to ES replacements and revealed a higher conformational flexibility of ES/P peptides compared to DT/P peptides. Differences in conformational flexibilities and in O-glycosylation densities could underlie the observed differential humoral responses in humans. We were able to show that the natural immunoglobulin G (IgG) responses to the repeat domain of MUC1 in sera from nonmalignant control subjects are preferentially directed to variant repeat clusters. In contrast, the IgG response in patients with adenocarcinoma shifted to higher frequencies of preferential DTR peptide binding.     

Binding patterns of DTR-specific antibodies reveal a glycosylation-conditioned tumor-specific epitope of the epithelial mucin (MUC1)

Glycosylation determines essential biological functions of epithelial mucins in health and disease. We report on the influence of glycosylation of the immunodominant DTR motif of MUC1 on its antigenicity. Sets of novel glycopeptides were synthesized that enabled us to examine sole and combined effects of peptide length (number of repeats) and O-glycosylation with GalNAc at the DTR motif on the binding patterns of 22 monoclonal antibodies recognizing this motif. In case of unglycosylated peptides almost all antibodies bound better to multiple MUC1 tandem repeats. Glycosylation at the DTR led to enhanced binding in 11 cases, whereas 10 antibodies were not influenced in binding, and one was inhibited. In nine of the former cases both length and DTR glycosylation were additive in their influence on antibody binding, suggesting that both effects are different. Improved binding to the glycosylated DTR motif was exclusively found with antibodies generated against tumor-derived MUC1. Based on these data a tumor-specific MUC1 epitope is defined comprising the ...PDTRP... sequence in a particular conformation essentially determined by O-glycosylation at its threonine with either GalNAcalpha1 or a related short glycan. The results can find application in the field of MUC1-based immunotherapy.     

Influence of the amino acid sequence on the MUC5AC motif peptide O-Glycosylation by Human gastric UDP-GalNAc:polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase(s)

The present work was carried out to study the role of the peptide moiety in the addition of O-linked N-acetylgalactosamine to human apomucin using human crude microsomal homogenates from gastric mucosa (as enzyme source) and a series of peptide acceptors representative of tandem repeat domains deduced from the MUC5AC mucin gene (expressed in the gastric mucosa). Being rich in threonine and serine placed in clusters, these peptides provided several potential sites for O-glycosylation. The glycosylated products were analysed by a combination of electrospray mass spectrometry and capillary electrophoresis in order to isolate the glycopeptides and to determine their sequence by Edman degradation. The O-glycosylation of our MUC5AC motif peptides gave information on the specificity and activity of the gastric microsomal UDP-N-acetylgalactosamine:polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase(s). The proline residues and the induced-conformations are of great importance for the recognition of MUC5AC peptides but they are not the only factors for the choice of the O-glycosylation sites. Moreover, for the di-glycosylated peptides, the flanking regions of the proline residues strongly influence the site of the second O-glycosylation.     

Conformational studies on the MUC1 tandem repeat glycopeptides: implication for the enzymatic O-glycosylation of the mucin protein core

The tandem repeat of the MUC1 protein core is a major site of O-glycosylation that is catalyzed by several polypeptide GalNAc-transferases. To define structural features of the peptide substrates that contribute to acceptor substrate efficiency, solution structures of the 21-residue peptide AHGVTSAPDTRPAPGSTAPPA (AHG21) from the MUC1 protein core and four isoforms, glycosylated with alpha-N-acetylgalactosamine on corresponding Thr residues, AHG21 (T5), AHG21 (T10), AHG21 (T17), and AHG21 (T5,T17), were investigated by NMR spectroscopy and computational methods. NMR studies revealed that sugar attachment affected the conformational equilibrium of the peptide backbone near the glycosylated Thr residues. The clustering of the low-energy conformations for nonglycosylated and glycosylated counterparts within the VTSA, DTR, and GSTA fragments (including all sites of potential glycosylation catalyzed by GalNAc-T1, -T2, and -T4 transferases) showed that the glycosylated peptides display distinct structural propensities that may explain, in part, the differences in substrate specificities exhibited by these polypeptide GalNAc-transferases.     

Recombinant MUC1 probe authentically reflects cell-specific O-glycosylation profiles of endogenous breast cancer mucin. High density and prevalent core 2-based glycosylation

Knowledge about the O-linked glycan chains of tumor-associated MUC1 is primarily based on enzymatic and immunochemical evidence. To obtain structural information and to overcome limitations by the scarcity of endogenous mucin, we expressed a recombinant glycosylation probe corresponding to six MUC1 tandem repeats in four breast cancer cell lines. Comparative analyses of the O-glycan profiles were performed after hydrazinolysis and normal phase chromatography of 2-aminobenzamide-labeled glycans. Except for a general reduction in the O-glycan chain lengths and a high density glycosylation, no common structural pattern was revealed. T47D fusion protein exhibits an almost complete shift from core 2 to core 1 expression with a preponderance of sialylated glycans. By contrast, MCF-7, MDA-MB231, and ZR75-1 cells glycosylate the MUC1 repeat peptide preferentially with core 2-based glycans terminating mostly with alpha 3-linked sialic acid (MDA-MB231, ZR75-1) or alpha 2/3-linked fucose (MCF-7). Endogenous MUC1 from T47D and MCF-7 cell supernatants revealed almost identical O-glycosylation profiles compared with the respective recombinant probes, indicating that the fusion proteins reflected the authentic O-glycan profiles of the cells. The structural patterns in the majority of cells under study are in conflict with biosynthetic models of MUC1 O-glycosylation in breast cancer, which claim that the truncation of normal core 2-based polylactosamine structures to short sialylated core 1-based glycans is due to the reduced activity of core 2-forming beta 6-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferases and/or to overexpression of competitive alpha 3- sialyltransferase.     

In vivo glycosylation of mucin tandem repeats.

The biochemical and biophysical properties of mucins are largely determined by extensive O-glycosylation of serine- and threonine-rich tandem repeat (TR) domains. In a number of human diseases aberrant O-glycosylation is associated with variations in the properties of the cell surface-associated and secreted mucins. To evaluate in vivo the O-glycosylation of mucin TR domains, we generated recombinant chimeric mucins with TR sequences from MUC2, MUC4, MUC5AC, or MUC5B, which were substituted for the native TRs of epitope-tagged MUC1 protein (MUC1F). These hybrid mucins were extensively O-glycosylated and showed the expected association with the cell surface and release into culture media. The presence of different TR domains within the chimeric mucins appears to have limited influence on their posttranslational processing. Alterations in glycosylation were detailed by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry and reactivity with antibodies against particular blood-group and tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens. Future applications of these chimeras will include investigations of mucin posttranslational modification in the context of disease.     

Evidence for glycosylation-dependent activities of polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferases rGalNAc-T2 and -T4 on mucin glycopeptides

We present evidence that site-specific O-glycosylation by recombinant polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferases rGalNAc-T2 and -T4 is controlled by the primary sequence context, as well as by the position and structure of previously introduced O-glycans. Synthetic mucin-type (glyco)peptides corresponding to sections of the tandem repeat regions of MUC1, MUC2, and MUC4 were used as substrates for recombinant polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferases, rGalNAc-T2 and -T4. By concerted and sequential action the two transferases are able to fully glycosylate MUC1 but only partially MUC2 and MUC4 tandem repeat peptides. GalNAc residues on MUC1 acceptor peptides trigger activity of rGalNAc-T4 directed to Ser in VTSA and Thr in PDTR and of rGalNAc-T2 to Ser/Thr within the GSTA motif of variant MUC1 peptides. However, elongation of GalNAc by beta3-galactosylation inhibits rGalNAc-T4 activity completely and rGalNAc-T2 activity with respect to the acceptor site GSTA. These findings are in accord with the inhibition of rGalNAc-T2 and -T4 by fully GalNAc-substituted MUC1 repeat peptide and support a glycosylation-dependent activity induction or enhancement of both enzymes.     

In vivo glycosylation of MUC1 in airway epithelial cells

The O-glycans that decorate mucin glycoproteins contribute to the biophysical and biochemical properties of these molecules and hence their function as a barrier and lubricant on epithelial surfaces. Alterations in mucin O-glycosylation in certain diseases may contribute to pathology. It is known that both the host cell type and the amino acid sequence of the mucin tandem repeat contribute to the O-glycosylation of a mucin molecule. We expressed an epitope-tagged MUC1 mucin cDNA construct in the airway cell line 16HBE14o- and the colon carcinoma cell line Caco2 and used Fast Atom Bombardment Mass Spectrometry to evaluate the contribution of the host cell to differences in O-glycosylation of a single mucin. Many of the glycans detected on the MUC1 mucin were common to both cell types, as would be predicted from biosynthetic constraints. However, MUC1 synthesized in the airway cell line showed comparatively low levels of sialylation but carried a range of oligo-N-acetyllactosamine structures that were not seen in the colon carcinoma cell line.     

Evaluation of MUC6 mucin tandem repeats

The MUC6 mucin was originally isolated from stomach mucus and is one of the major secreted mucins of the digestive tract. A full-length cDNA has not been isolated for this large molecule (greater than 15 kb) and it remains poorly studied. To circumvent the lack of reagents for investigating MUC6, we isolated a cDNA clone from a human fetal pancreatic duct cDNA library that encodes 282 amino acids of the MUC6 tandem repeat. A blast search with the sequence of this cDNA clone showed 90% homology with the original MUC6 (L07517) derived from a human stomach cDNA library and 95% homology both with AK096772, a MUC6-related protein isolated from a human prostate cDNA library and the human genome project clone AC083984. The MUC6 partial cDNA clone isolated from fetal pancreas was inserted into an epitope-tagged MUC1 mucin molecule in place of the native tandem repeat. This chimeric mucin was expressed in human pancreatic (Panc1) and colon (Caco2) carcinoma cell lines and purified for analysis of O-glycosylation by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FAB-MS). The FAB-MS spectra showed O-glycans that had been detected previously on chimeric mucins carrying different tandem repeats, though the spectra for MUC1F/6TR mucins expressed in the Panc1 and Caco2 cells were very different. There was a paucity of O-glycosylation in Panc1 cells in comparison to Caco2 cells where many more structures were evident, and the most abundant glycans in Panc1 cells were sialylated.     

A MUC1 tandem repeat reporter protein produced in CHO-K1 cells has sialylated core 1 O-glycans and becomes more densely glycosylated if coexpressed with polypeptide-GalNAc-T4 transferase

A recombinant mucin O-glycosylation reporter protein, containing 1.7 tandem repeats (TRs) from the transmembrane mucin MUC1, was constructed. The reporter protein, MUC1(1.7TR)-IgG2a, was produced in CHO-K1 cells to study the glycosylation of the MUC1 TR and the in vivo role of polypeptide-GalNAc-T4 glycosyltransferase. N-terminal sequencing of MUC1(1.7TR)-IgG2a showed that all five potential O-glycosylation sites within the TR were used, with an average density of 4.5 glycans per repeat. The least occupied site was Thr in the PDTR motif, where 75% of the molecules were glycosylated, compared to 88-97% at the other sites. This glycan density was confirmed by an alternative liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) based approach. The O-linked oligosaccharides were released from MUC1(1.7TR)-IgG2a and analyzed by nano-LC-MS and LC-MS/MS. Four oligosaccharides were present, NeuAcalpha2-3Galbeta1-3GalNAcol, NeuAcalpha2-3Galbeta1-3(NeuAcalpha2-6)GalNAcol, Galbeta1-3(NeuAcalpha2-6)GalNAcol, and Galbeta1-3GalNAcol, the two first being most abundant. Coexpression of the human polypeptide-GalNAc-T4 transferase with MUC1(1.7TR)-IgG2a increased the glycan occupancy at Thr in PDTR, Ser in VTSA, and Ser in GSTA, supporting the function of GalNAc-T4 proposed from previous in vitro studies. The expression of GalNAc-T4 with a mutation in the first lectin domain (alpha) had no glycosylation effect on PDTR and GSTA but surprisingly gave a dominant negative effect with a decreased glycosylation to around 50% at the Ser in VTSA. The results show that introduction of glycosyltransferases can specifically alter the sites for O-glycosylation in vivo.     

NMR analysis of human salivary mucin (MUC7) derived O-linked model glycopeptides: comparison of structural features and carbohydrate-peptide interactions.

Two series of glycopeptides with mono- and disaccharides, [GalNAc and Galbeta (1-3)GalNAc] O-linked to serine and threonine at one, two or three contiguous sites were synthesized and characterized by 1H NMR. The conformational effects governed by O-glycosylation were studied and compared with the corresponding non-glycosylated counterparts using NMR, CD and molecular modelling. These model peptides encompassing the aa sequence, PAPPSSSAPPE (series I) and APPETTAAPPT (series II) were essentially derived from a 23-aa tandem repeat sequence of low molecular weight human salivary mucin (MUC7). NOEs, chemical shift perturbations and temperature coefficients of amide protons in aqueous and nonaqueous media suggest that carbohydrate moiety in threonine glycosylated peptides (series II) is in close proximity to the peptide backbone. An intramolecular hydrogen bonding between the amide proton of GalNAc or Galbeta (1-3)GalNAc and the carbonyl oxygen of the O-linked threonine residue is found to be the key structure stabilizing element. The carbohydrates in serine glycosylated peptides (series I), on the other hand, lack such intramolecular hydrogen bonding and assume a more apical position, thus allowing more rotational freedom around the O-glycosidic bond. The effect of O-glycosylation on peptide backbone is clearly reflected from the observed overall differences in sequential NOEs and CD band intensities among the various glycosylated and non-glycosylated analogues. Delineation of solution structure of these (glyco)peptides by NMR and CD revealed largely a poly L-proline type II and/or random coil conformation for the peptide core. Typical peptide fragments of tandem repeat sequence of mucin (MUC7) showing profound glycosylation effects and distinct differences between serine and threonine glycosylation as observed in the present investigation could serve as template for further studies to understand the multifunctional role played by mucin glycoproteins.     

Identification and topology of variant sequences within individual repeat domains of the human epithelial tumor mucin MUC1

This study shows for the first time that the tandemly repeated icosapeptide of human MUC1 underlies a genetic sequence polymorphism at three positions (underlined): PDTRPAPGSTAPPAHGVTSA. The concerted replacement DT-->ES (sequence variation 1) and the single replacements P-->Q (sequence variation 2), P-->A (sequence variation 3), and P-->T (sequence variation 4) were identified by sequencing of polymerase chain reaction products and studied by minisatellite variant repeat analysis for their incidence and topology in the 5' and 3' peripheral regions of the variable number of tandem repeats domain. Minisatellite variant repeat analyses were performed with 27 individual samples of genomic DNA from human cells and tissues covering 30-60% of the domain. Within the peripheral regions, sequence variations 1-4 occur at high incidence and show a nearly constant repeat topology in all individual normal and tumor samples. Also, individuals who were non-Caucasian or of different ethnic background were found to have the same set of replacements with identical topology. The repeat variant 1 replacing the established tumor target motif DTR with ESR was found in all individuals and appears predominantly in repeat clusters (diads and triads). The largely constant topology of variant repeats is interpreted by the assumption that the variable number of tandem repeats domain has evolved as a recent expansion of sequence variable super-repeats.     

Chemoenzymatically synthesized multimeric Tn/STn MUC1 glycopeptides elicit cancer-specific anti-MUC1 antibody responses and override tolerance

The MUC1 mucin represents a prime target antigen for cancer immunotherapy because it is abundantly expressed and aberrantly glycosylated in carcinomas. Attempts to generate strong humoral immunity to MUC1 by immunization with peptides have generally failed partly because of tolerance. In this study, we have developed chemoenzymatic synthesis of extended MUC1 TR glycopeptides with cancer-associated O-glycosylation using a panel of recombinant human glycosyltransferases. MUC1 glycopeptides with different densities of Tn and STn glycoforms conjugated to KLH were used as immunogens to evaluate an optimal vaccine design. Glycopeptides with complete O-glycan occupancy (five sites per repeat) elicited the strongest antibody response reacting with MUC1 expressed in breast cancer cell lines in both Balb/c and MUC1.Tg mice. The elicited humoral immune response showed remarkable specificity for cancer cells suggesting that the glycopeptide design holds promise as a cancer vaccine. The elicited immune responses were directed to combined glycopeptide epitopes, and both peptide sequence and carbohydrate structures were important for the antigen. A MAb (5E5) with similar specificity as the elicited immune response was generated and shown to have the same remarkable cancer specificity. This antibody may hold promise in diagnostic and immunopreventive measures.     

Nuclear magnetic resonance-based dissection of a glycosyltransferase specificity for the mucin MUC1 tandem repeat

The human glycoprotein MUC1 mucin plays a critical role in cancer progression. Breast, ovarian, and colon cancer cells often display unique cell-surface antigens corresponding to aberrantly glycosylated forms of the MUC1 tandem repeat. In this report, (15)N- and (13)C-labeled forms of a recombinant MUC1 construct containing five tandem repeats were used as substrates to define the order and kinetics of addition of N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) moieties by a recombinant active form of the human enzyme UDP-GalNAc:polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase I (ppGalNAc-T1; residues 40-559). Heteronuclear NMR experiments were performed to assign resonances associated with the two serines (Ser5 and Ser15) and three threonines (Thr6, Thr14, and Thr19) present in the 20-residue long MUC1 repeat. The kinetics and order of addition of GalNAc moieties (Tn antigen) on the MUC1 construct by human ppGalNAc-T1 were subsequently dissected by NMR spectroscopy. Threonine 14 was shown to be rapidly glycosylated by ppGalNAc-T1 with an initial rate of 25 microM/min, followed by Thr6 (8.6 microM/min). The enzyme also modified Ser5 at a slower rate (1.7 microM/min), an event that started only after the glycosylation of Thr14 and Thr6 side chains was mostly completed. Ser15 and Thr19 remained unglycosylated by ppGalNAc-T1. Corresponding O-glycosylation sites within all five tandem repeats were simultaneously modified by ppGalNAc-T1, suggesting that each repeat behaves as an independent substrate unit. This study demonstrated that the hydroxyl oxygens of Thr14 and to a lesser extent Thr 6 represent the two dominant substrates modified by ppGalNAc-T1 within the context of a complex MUC1 peptide substrate. More importantly, the availability of defined isotopically labelled MUC1 glycopeptide substrates and the relative simplicity of their NMR spectra will facilitate the analysis of other transferases within the O-glycosylation pathways and the rational design of tumor-associated MUC1 antigens.     

Mucin core O-glycosylation is modulated by neighboring residue glycosylation status. Kinetic modeling of the site-specific glycosylation of the apo-porcine submaxillary mucin tandem repeat by UDP-GalNAc:polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferases T1 and T2

The influence of peptide sequence and environment on the initiation and elongation of mucin O-glycosylation is not well understood. The in vivo glycosylation pattern of the porcine submaxillary gland mucin (PSM) tandem repeat containing 31 O-glycosylation sites (Gerken, T. A., Gilmore, M., and Zhang, J. (2002) J. Biol. Chem. 277, 7736-7751) reveals a weak inverse correlation with hydroxyamino acid density (and by inference the density of glycosylation) with the extent of GalNAc glycosylation and core-1 substitution. We now report the time course of the in vitro glycosylation of the apoPSM tandem repeat by recombinant UDP-GalNAc:polypeptide alpha-GalNAc transferases (ppGalNAc transferase) T1 and T2 that confirm these findings. A wide range of glycosylation rates are found, with several residues showing apparent plateaus in glycosylation. An adjustable kinetic model that reduces the first-order rate constants proportional to neighboring glycosylation status, plus or minus three residues of the site of glycosylation, was found to reasonably reproduce the experimental rate data for both transferases, including apparent plateaus in glycosylation. The unique, transferase-specific, positional weighting constants reveal information on the peptide/glycopeptide recognition site for each transferase. Both transferases displayed high sensitivities to neighboring Ser/Thr glycosylation, whereas ppGalNAc T2 displayed additional high sensitivities to the presence of nonglycosylated Ser/Thr residues. This is the first demonstration of the ability to model mucin O-glycosylation kinetics, confirming that under the appropriate conditions neighboring glycosylation status can be a significant factor modulating the first step of mucin O-glycan biosynthesis.     

A highly immunogenic region of a human polymorphic epithelial mucin expressed by carcinomas is made up of tandem repeats

The nucleotide sequences of partial cDNA clones coding for the core protein of a human polymorphic epithelial mucin were determined, and a large domain was found to consist of a 60-base pair tandem repeat sequence. The cDNA clones were originally selected (Gendler, S. J., Burchell, J. M., Duhig, T., Lamport, D., White, R., Parker, M., and Taylor-Papadimitriou, J. (1987) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 84, 6060-6064) using three monoclonal antibodies which show differential reactivity with the mucin produced by normal and malignant breast. Two of the epitopes are exposed in the normally processed and cancer-associated mucin, while one epitope is unmasked only in the cancer-associated mucin (Burchell, J. M., Durbin, H., and Taylor-Papadimitriou, J. (1983) J. Immunol. 131, 508-513; Burchell, J., Gendler, S., Taylor-Papadimitriou, J., Girling, A., Lewis, A., Millis, R., and Lamport, D. (1987) Cancer Res. 47, 5476-5482). We show here that all three antibodies react with a synthetic peptide with an amino acid sequence corresponding to that predicted by the tandem repeat. Identification of the epitopes preferentially expressed on the cancer-associated mucin should allow a directed approach to the development of tumor-specific antibodies using synthetic peptides as immunogens.     

Conformational disturbance induced by AzPro/Pro substitution in peptides

Summary Consequences inherent to the substitution of aza-proline (AzPro) for proline in the octapeptide TTSAPTTS, representative of the tandem repeat motif present in the peptide backbone of MUC5AC mucin, were analysed in terms of conformational perturbation and O-glycosylation aptitude. In DMSO solution, we observed the same tendency previously noted in AzPro-tripeptide models, i.e. AzPro prevents β-turn formation in which it would occupy the i+1 position, and therefore behaves quite opposite to Pro, whereas both AzPro and Pro can support a β-turn in the i+2 position with a cis disposition of the preceding tertiary amide function. The former structural modifications do not prevent O-glycosylation to take place at the same specific site, but it occurs at a reduced rate.     

Structural and dynamic consequences of increasing repeats in a MUC1 peptide tumor antigen

MUC1 mucin is a large transmembrane glycoprotein whose extracelluler domain is composed of repeating units of a 20 amino acid sequence. In the cancer associated state, this protein expression becomes upregulated and underglycosylated. Previous studies, which show an enhanced binding of a 5-repeat over a 1-repeat MUC1 peptide to a panel of anti-MUC1 antibodies, have led us to investigate the structural and dynamic consequences of increasing repeat number. Two MUC1 peptides were studied: a 16mer corresponding to slightly less than one full repeat of the MUC1 tandem repeat sequence (GVTSAPDTRPAPGSTA) and a 40mer corresponding to two full repeats of the MUC1 sequence (VTSAPDTRPAPGSTAPPAHG)2. Isotopically labeled versions of these MUC1 peptides were cloned, expressed, purified, and evaluated structurally and dynamically using 15N- and 13C-edited NMR approaches. The data show that MUC1 structure, dynamics, and antibody binding affinity are invariant with increasing repeat number. In light of these results, we conclude that the enhanced antibody affinity of the 5-repeat over the 1-repeat MUC1 peptide is due to multivalency effects, and not due to the development of higher order structure in the longer length peptides. The implications of these results are discussed within the context of a multiple repeat MUC1 breast cancer vaccine design.     

Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen expression in gastric carcinomas is associated with MUC1 mucin VNTR polymorphism

Aberrant glycosylation of mucins is a common phenomenon associated with oncogenic transformation. We investigated the association between expression of the tumor-associated antigens T, Tn, and sialyl-Tn and polymorphism in the length of the MUC1 mucin tandem repeat in a series of gastric carcinomas. We further evaluated the relevance of MUC1 tandem repeat length on the expression of these tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens (TACAs) using a gastric carcinoma cell line model expressing recombinant MUC1 constructs carrying 0, 3, 9, and 42 repeats. Gastric carcinomas showed a high prevalence of Tn and sialyl-Tn antigens, whereas T antigen was less frequently expressed. The expression of T antigen was significantly higher in gastric carcinomas from patients homozygous for MUC1 large tandem repeat alleles. No significant associations were found for Tn and sialyl-Tn antigens. This novel association was reinforced by the gastric carcinoma cell line model experiments, where de novo expression of T antigen was detected in clones transfected with larger VNTR regions. Our results indicate that polymorphism in the MUC1 tandem repeat influences the expression of TACAs in gastric cancer cells and may therefore allow the identification of subgroups of patients that develop more aggressive tumors expressing T antigen.     

The contribution of tandem repeat number to the O-glycosylation of mucins

The serine- and threonine-rich tandem repeat (TR) units that make up the characteristic feature of mucin glycoproteins are often polymorphic with substantial genetic variation in TR number. The precise effect of TR number on O-glycosylation is not fully understood, although the TR number of several mucins may be associated with apparent susceptibility to certain human diseases. To evaluate the contribution of TR number to O-glycosylation, we generated a series of chimeric mucins carrying increasing numbers of TR units from the MUC5B mucin in the context of an epitope-tagged MUC1 mucin backbone. These mucins were expressed in Caco2 colon carcinoma cell clones and purified by immunoprecipitation. O-Glycosylation was investigated by western blotting with antibodies to known carbohydrate structures and by fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometry. Additional carbohydrate epitopes were detected with antibodies on chimeric mucins with a higher TR number in comparison to those with fewer TRs. Using mass spectrometry, higher-molecular-weight glycans were detected more frequently on the mucins with extended TRs compared to those with fewer TRs. However no novel carbohydrate structures were seen, suggesting that TR number does not affect the specificity of O-glycosylation.