Suppression of B3GNT7 gene expression in colon adenocarcinoma and its potential effect in the metastasis of colon cancer cells

The cell surface sialyl Lewis a (sLea) and sialyl Lewis x (sLex) antigens, which are built on the terminals of glyco-structures called poly-N-acetyllactosamine (LacNAc) chains, have been shown to play a critical role in the metastasis of colon cancer. In the present investigation, expression of the B3GNT7 gene, which encodes a β-1,3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase that mainly acts on and extends sulfated poly-LacNAc chains, was found to be...