UNIPROT #

Q8WXI7

PROTEIN NAME

MUC16

SYNONYMS

CA 125 antibody; CA-125 antibody; CA125 antibody; CA125 ovarian cancer antigen antibody; Cancer antigen 125 antibody; FLJ14303 antibody; MUC 16 antibody; MUC-16 antibody; MUC16 antibody; MUC16_HUMAN antibody; Mucin 16 antibody; Mucin 16 cell surface associated antibody; Mucin-16 antibody; Mucin16 antibody; Ovarian cancer related tumor marker CA125 antibody; Ovarian cancer-related tumor marker CA125 antibody; Ovarian carcinoma antigen CA125 antibody; hide

TISSUE SPECIFICITY

Expressed in corneal and conjunctival epithelia (at protein level). Overexpressed in ovarian carcinomas and ovarian low malignant potential (LMP) tumors as compared to the expression in normal ovarian tissue and ovarian adenomas.

POST-TRANSLATIONAL MODIFICATION

Heavily O-glycosylated; expresses both type 1 and type 2 core glycans.; Heavily N-glycosylated; expresses primarily high mannose and complex bisecting type N-linked glycans.; May be phosphorylated. Phosphorylation of the intracellular C-terminal domain may induce proteolytic cleavage and the liberation of the extracellular domain into the extracellular space.; May contain numerous disulfide bridges. Association of several molecules of the secreted form may occur through interchain disulfide bridges providing an extraordinarily large gel-like matrix in the extracellular space or in the lumen of secretory ducts.

SUBCELLULAR LOCATION

Cell membrane, Secreted.

FUNCTION

The mucins are a family of highly glycosylated, secreted proteins with a basic structure consisting of a variable number of tandem repeats (VNTRs). Membrane-associated and secretory Mucins are high molecular weight glycoproteins of the glycocalyx (polysaccharide biofilm) that protects mucosal epithelium from particulate matter and microorganisms. Epithelial Mucins are large, secreted and cell surface glycoproteins crucial for adhesion modulation, signaling and epithelial cell protection. The number of repeats is highly polymorphic and varies among different alleles. The Mucin family consists of Mucins 1-4, Mucin 5 (AC and B), Mucins 6-8, Mucins 11-13 and Mucins 15-17. The Mucin 16 protein (also commonly referred to as CA125), encoded for by the gene MUC16, is a very high molecular weight tumor antigen consisting of three domains: a carboxy terminal domain, an extracellular domain and an amino terminal domain. Mucin 16, an ovarian cancer-associated antigen, is used as a marker to monitor the progress of epithelial ovarian cancer. It is a hydrophilic membrane-associated protein that may be involved in vitamin A functions.