Biomolecules (Mar 2024)

The Role of MUC1 in Renal Cell Carcinoma

  • Martina Milella,
  • Monica Rutigliano,
  • Francesco Lasorsa,
  • Matteo Ferro,
  • Roberto Bianchi,
  • Giuseppe Fallara,
  • Felice Crocetto,
  • Savio Domenico Pandolfo,
  • Biagio Barone,
  • Antonio d’Amati,
  • Marco Spilotros,
  • Michele Battaglia,
  • Pasquale Ditonno,
  • Giuseppe Lucarelli

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/biom14030315
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14, no. 3
p. 315

Abstract

Read online

Mucins are a family of high-molecular-weight glycoproteins. MUC1 is widely studied for its role in distinct types of cancers. In many human epithelial malignancies, MUC1 is frequently overexpressed, and its intracellular activities are crucial for cell biology. MUC1 overexpression can enhance cancer cell proliferation by modulating cell metabolism. When epithelial cells lose their tight connections, due to the loss of polarity, the mucins become dispersed on both sides of the epithelial membrane, leading to an abnormal mucin interactome with the membrane. Tumor-related MUC1 exhibits certain features, such as loss of apical localization and aberrant glycosylation that might cause the formation of tumor-related antigen epitopes. Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for approximately 3% of adult malignancies and it is the most common kidney cancer. The exact role of MUC1 in this tumor is unknown. Evidence suggests that it may play a role in several oncogenic pathways, including proliferation, metabolic reprogramming, chemoresistance, and angiogenesis. The purpose of this review is to explore the role of MUC1 and the meaning of its overexpression in epithelial tumors and in particular in RCC.

Keywords