Abstract
Summary
Homogenates of tumorous and adjacent non-tumorous colorectal tissues from 18 patients were tested for the activities of blood group synthetic enzymes, namely α-D-galactosyl transferase for B isoantigen and α-N-acetyl-D-galactosamine transferase of A isoantigen.
The galactosyl transferase activity in non-tumorous intestinal tissue was high in patients with blood group B, intermediate in group AB and was absent in group A or O. As compared with adjacent non-tumorous tissue, the Gal transferase activity increased in tumors by 1.6- to 6.9-fold in four of five patients with blood group B or AB, and the α-N-acetyl-D-galactosaminyl transferase activity increased in three- of six-tumor tissues from patients of blood group A or AB.
The results suggest that the reported losses of ABH isoantigen in colorectal cancer are not due to deficiencies of Gal or GalNAc transferase activities involved in the synthesis of blood group antigens.
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