Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Jun 18;22(12):6567.
doi: 10.3390/ijms22126567.

MUC1: Structure, Function, and Clinic Application in Epithelial Cancers

Wenqing Chen  1 , Zhu Zhang  2 , Shiqing Zhang  2 , Peili Zhu  2 , Joshua Ka-Shun Ko  1 , Ken Kin-Lam Yung  2
Affiliations
Review

MUC1: Structure, Function, and Clinic Application in Epithelial Cancers

Wenqing Chen et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

The transmembrane glycoprotein mucin 1 (MUC1) is a mucin family member that has different functions in normal and cancer cells. Owing to its structural and biochemical properties, MUC1 can act as a lubricant, moisturizer, and physical barrier in normal cells. However, in cancer cells, MUC1 often undergoes aberrant glycosylation and overexpression. It is involved in cancer invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis, and apoptosis by virtue of its participation in intracellular signaling processes and the regulation of related biomolecules. This review introduces the biological structure and different roles of MUC1 in normal and cancer cells and the regulatory mechanisms governing these roles. It also evaluates current research progress and the clinical applications of MUC1 in cancer therapy based on its characteristics.

Keywords: MUC1; MUC1 cell barrier; epithelial cancer; immunotherapy; therapeutic biomarkers; tumor oncogene.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Structure of MUC1 in normal tissues and diseased tissues. (A) The structure of MUC1 in normal tissues; (B) The structure of MUC1 in diseased tissues.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Different function of MUC1 in health or cancer tissues. (A) The function of MUC1 in normal tissues; (B) The function and its main pathways of MUC1 in cancer tissues.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Clinical applications of MUC1.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Nath S., Mukherjee P. MUC1: A multifaceted oncoprotein with a key role in cancer progression. Trends Mol. Med. 2014;20:332–342. doi: 10.1016/j.molmed.2014.02.007. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bose M., Mukherjee P. Microbe-MUC1 Crosstalk in Cancer-Associated Infections. Trends Mol. Med. 2020;26:324–336. doi: 10.1016/j.molmed.2019.10.003. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Gao T., Cen Q., Lei H. A review on development of MUC1-based cancer vaccine. Biomed. Pharmacother. 2020;132:110888. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2020.110888. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Carson D.D. The cytoplasmic tail of MUC1: A very busy place. Sci. Signal. 2008;1:pe35. doi: 10.1126/scisignal.127pe35. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kufe D.W. Mucins in cancer: Function, prognosis and therapy. Nat. Rev. Cancer. 2009;9:874–885. doi: 10.1038/nrc2761. - DOI - PMC - PubMed