Cancer-Specific Mucin-1 Isoform (MUC1*)

Cancer-specific mucin-1 isoform, often referred to as MUC1* or tumor-associated MUC1, is a variant of the transmembrane glycoprotein Mucin-1 (MUC1). In cancerous tissues, tumor-associated forms like MUC1* are overexpressed and often display hypoglycosylation compared to normal tissue. This isoform promotes oncogenic signaling pathways, proliferation, metastatic invasion, and chemoresistance making it an attractive target for immunotherapy. Targeting these forms has shown efficacy in preclinical models by inducing tumor cell death while sparing normal tissue due to differential epitope exposure.

Other names

Tumor-associated MUC1MUC1*Hypoglycosylated MUC1MUC1-C

Induction of tumor cell death, targeting exposed core peptides not present on normal tissue mucins.