Sialyltransferase 7E (SIAT7E)

ST6GALNAC5 belongs to a family of sialyltransferases that modify proteins and ceramides on the cell surface to alter cell-cell or cell-extracellular matrix interactions.

EGFR ligands and COX2 had been linked to breast cancer infiltration of the lungs, but not the bones or liver, suggesting a sharing of these mediators in cerebral and pulmonary metastases. In contrast, ST6GALNAC5 specifically mediates brain metastasis. Normally restricted to the brain, the expression of ST6GALNAC5 in breast cancer cells enhances their adhesion to brain endothelial cells and their passage through the blood-brain barrier. This co-option of a brain sialyltransferase highlighted the role of cell surface glycosylation in organ-specific metastatic interactions.