Sialic Acid and Sialyltransferase Activity in Serum and Tissues of Dogs With Mammary Tumors

In humans, the glycosylation pattern of serum and of membrane glycoproteins is associated with invasiveness of tumors: specifically, alpha 2,6-sialylation and alpha 2,3-sialylation are associated with metastasizing and nonmetastasizing tumors, respectively. In turn, the type of sialylation depends on the activity of alpha 2,6 or alpha 2,3 sialyltransferase (ST) enzymes. Because of the high prevalence of metastasizing tumors with biological behavior similar to the human counterpart, female dogs with metastasizing neoplasms could provide a good animal model for investigating the potential roles of sialic acid (Sia) and ST enzymes in the pathogenesis of metastatic tumors. The aims of this study were (1) to validate a solid-phase method based on lectin staining of serum and tissue homogenates to investigate sialylation and ST activity and (2) to compare the results obtained with this method and with lectin staining and to collect preliminary information on sialylation and ST activity in dogs with (n = 8) and without (n = 8) mammary tumors. The data recorded in healthy dogs revealed that serum and tissue glycoproteins are prevalently characterized by a alpha 2,6 sialylation, but ST-alpha 2,3 seems to be the most active enzyme in both samples. Sia-alpha 2,3 and ST-alpha 2,3 activity decreases in serum and tissues of dogs with tumors, especially in a dog with metastasis, suggesting that the equilibrium between ST-alpha 2,6 and ST-alpha 2,3 activity shifts toward the former, as reported in humans.