Serum 3′-sulfo-Lea indication of gastric cancer metastasis

Abstract Background 3′-Sulfo-Le a is known to be the potent ligand of E-selectin which is important in cell adhesion and migration. Yet the significance of serum 3′-sulfo-Le a has not been explored and reported. Methods Serum 3′-sulfo-Le a was analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. SPSS software was used for statistics analysis. Cell adhesion to HUVEC and sL-selectin, and cell migration were performed in gastric cancer cells SCG7901 with 3′-sulfo-Le a silence by Gal3ST-2 RNAi. Results Through analysis, the mean levels of serum 3′-sulfo-Le a antigen were found significantly higher in 108 patients with gastric cancer than that in 74 healthy volunteers. Depth of tumor invasion, lymph node metastasis, and differentiation were noted to be significantly correlated with the expression of this antigen in gastric carcinoma. After treatment with 5-FU (5-fluorouracil) and ATRP (N-all-trans-retinoyl- l -proline), the expression of 3′-sulfo-Le a antigen was markedly down regulated in SCG7901 gastric cancer cells. After transfection of Gal3ST-2 RNAi, the expression of 3′-sulfo-Le a was silenced and the cell adhesion to HUVEC or sL-selectin, and cell migration were suppressed. Conclusion Serum 3′-sulfo-Le a antigen can provide important information in patients with primary gastric cancer, which might be useful as a predictive marker especially for the detection of tumor metastasis.