1
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Peduzzi G, Archibugi L, Farinella R, de Leon Pisani RP, Vodickova L, Vodicka P, Kraja B, Sainz J, Bars-Cortina D, Daniel N, Silvestri R, Uysal-Onganer P, Landi S, Dulińska-Litewka J, Comandatore A, Campa D, Hughes DJ, Rizzato C. The exposome and pancreatic cancer, lifestyle and environmental risk factors for PDAC. Semin Cancer Biol 2025; 113:100-129. [PMID: 40368260 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2025.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2025] [Revised: 04/08/2025] [Accepted: 05/04/2025] [Indexed: 05/16/2025]
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer (PC), particularly pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), is a significant global health issue with high mortality rates. PDAC, though only 3 % of cancer diagnoses, causes 7 % of cancer deaths due to its severity and asymptomatic early stages. Risk factors include lifestyle choices, environmental exposures, and genetic predispositions. Conditions like new-onset type 2 diabetes and chronic pancreatitis also contribute significantly. Modifiable risk factors include smoking, alcohol consumption, non-alcoholic fatty pancreatic disease (NAFPD), and obesity. Smoking and heavy alcohol consumption increase PC risk, while NAFPD and obesity, particularly central adiposity, contribute through chronic inflammation and insulin resistance. Refined sugar and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are also linked to increased PC risk, especially among younger individuals. Hormonal treatments and medications like statins, aspirin, and metformin have mixed results on PC risk, with some showing protective effects. The gut microbiome influences PC through the gut-pancreas axis, with disruptions leading to inflammation and carcinogenesis. Exposure to toxic substances, including heavy metals and chemicals, is associated with increased PC risk. Glycome changes, such as abnormal glycosylation patterns, are significant in PDAC development and offer potential for early diagnosis. Interactions between environmental and genetic factors are crucial in PDAC susceptibility. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) linked to PDAC, but gene-environment interactions remain largely unexplored. Future research should focus on polygenic risk scores (PRS) and large-scale studies to better understand these interactions and their impact on PDAC risk.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Livia Archibugi
- Pancreato-Biliary Endoscopy and Endosonography Division, Pancreas Translational and Clinical Research Center, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Ruggero Ponz de Leon Pisani
- Pancreato-Biliary Endoscopy and Endosonography Division, Pancreas Translational and Clinical Research Center, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Ludmila Vodickova
- Biomedical Center Martin, Bioinformatic Center, Comenius University in Bratislava, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin, Slovakia; Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Center in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Vodicka
- Biomedical Center Martin, Bioinformatic Center, Comenius University in Bratislava, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin, Slovakia; Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Center in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, Czech Republic
| | - Bledar Kraja
- University Clinic of Gastrohepatology, University Hospital Center Mother Teresa, Tirana, Albania
| | - Juan Sainz
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid 28029, Spain; GENYO. Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research. Genomic Oncology department, Granada, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria Ibs.Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - David Bars-Cortina
- Institut Català d'Oncologia (ICO) IDIBELL, Unit of Biomarkers and Susceptibility (UBS), Oncology Data Analytics Program (ODAP), Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), L'Hospitalet del Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain; Institut Català d'Oncologia (ICO) IDIBELL, ONCOBELL Program, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Neil Daniel
- Molecular Epidemiology of Cancer Group, UCD Conway Institute, School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | | | - Pinar Uysal-Onganer
- Cancer Mechanisms and Biomarkers Research Group, School of Life Sciences, University of Westminster, London, UK
| | - Stefano Landi
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Annalisa Comandatore
- General Surgery Unit, Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Italy
| | - Daniele Campa
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - David J Hughes
- Molecular Epidemiology of Cancer Group, UCD Conway Institute, School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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2
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Wang W, Zhang S, Wang C, Gao S, Zhang L, Zhang C, Zheng Z, Zhang J, Xu H, Bo C, Li N. Fluorouracil enhances the anti-pancreatic cancer effect of anti-PD-L1 antibodies via up-regulating the expression of PD-L1 in cancer cells. J Investig Med 2025; 73:310-319. [PMID: 39760164 DOI: 10.1177/10815589251314192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2025]
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer is characterized by occult onset, low early diagnosis rate, rapid progress, and poor prognosis. Due to the low response rate and low programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in pancreatic cancer, the therapeutic application of PL-L1 inhibitors in pancreatic cancer is greatly limited. In vitro studies showed that the expression of PD-L1 increased in pancreatic cancer cells stimulated by fluorouracil (5-FU). We aim to explore the combined effect of 5-FU and anti-PD-L1 antibodies and to provide a reference for the clinical application of PD-L1 antibodies in pancreatic cancer. In the current study, male BALB/c mice were adopted to construct a tumor-bearing model of pancreatic cancer cells. 5-FU and anti-mouse PD-L1 antibodies were combined and administered to evaluate their synergistic effects. The enhancing immune cytotoxicity effect of 5-FU sensitizing the anti-PD-L1 antibody in vivo and in vitro was analyzed by immunohistochemistry and western blot assays. Results showed that 5-FU and anti-PD-L1 antibody combination increased the expression of PD-L1 and IFN-γ, and infiltration of CD8+ T lymphocytes in pancreatic xenograft tumor tissues, which was proven by immunohistochemistry and western analysis. Moreover, the combination with the 5-FU remarkably enhanced the immune cytotoxicity of anti-PD-L1 antibodies in mice. In vitro analysis demonstrates that 5-FU increases the expression of PD-L1 on the surface of pancreatic cancer cell lines via up-regulating nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and Protein kinase B (AKT) pathways. This synergistic effect could be abolished by NF-κB and AKT inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wang
- Department of Oncology, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
| | - Sujing Zhang
- Department of Oncology, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
| | - Cong Wang
- Department of Oncology, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
| | - Siming Gao
- Department of Oncology, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
| | - Lingling Zhang
- Department of Oncology, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
| | - Changwang Zhang
- Department of Oncology, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
| | - Zheng Zheng
- Department of Oncology, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
| | - Jiancong Zhang
- Department of Oncology, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
| | - Hui Xu
- Department of Oncology, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
| | - Changwen Bo
- Department of Oncology, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
| | - Na Li
- Department of Oncology, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
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3
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Yamada K. Minor acidic glycans: Review of focused glycomics methods. BBA ADVANCES 2025; 7:100150. [PMID: 40051816 PMCID: PMC11883302 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadva.2025.100150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2024] [Revised: 02/02/2025] [Accepted: 02/15/2025] [Indexed: 03/09/2025] Open
Abstract
Glycans are modified by acidic molecules, including sialic acid, sulfates, phosphates, and glucuronic acid, forming acidic glycans. Among these, sialylated glycans form major components of deuterostome glycomes, and their structure and function have been widely studied. The other acidic glycans, comprising minor components of the glycome, are often overlooked by glycomics and glycoproteomics methods, although they are implicated in conditions such as inflammatory diseases, neurological diseases, and viral infections. Therefore, minor acidic glycans are high-priority targets for glycomics, and analytical techniques focused on minor acidic glycans are being developed. This review examines the methods of enriching the minor acidic glycans from biological glycomes and examines their structure, providing examples of the application of these techniques in biological and clinical samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keita Yamada
- The Laboratory of Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Osaka Ohtani University, 3-11-1 Nishikiori-kita, Tondabayashi, Osaka, 584-8540, Japan
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4
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Habeeb IF, Alao TE, Delgado D, Buffone A. When a negative (charge) is not a positive: sialylation and its role in cancer mechanics and progression. Front Oncol 2024; 14:1487306. [PMID: 39628991 PMCID: PMC11611868 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1487306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2024] [Accepted: 10/10/2024] [Indexed: 12/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Sialic acids and sialoglycans are critical actors in cancer progression and metastasis. These terminal sugar residues on glycoproteins and glycolipids modulate key cellular processes such as immune evasion, cell adhesion, and migration. Aberrant sialylation is driven by overexpression of sialyltransferases, resulting in hypersialylation on cancer cell surfaces as well as enhancing tumor aggressiveness. Sialylated glycans alter the structure of the glycocalyx, a protective barrier that fosters cancer cell detachment, migration, and invasion. This bulky glycocalyx also increases membrane tension, promoting integrin clustering and downstream signaling pathways that drive cell proliferation and metastasis. They play a critical role in immune evasion by binding to Siglecs, inhibitory receptors on immune cells, which transmit signals that protect cancer cells from immune-mediated destruction. Targeting sialylation pathways presents a promising therapeutic opportunity to understand the complex roles of sialic acids and sialoglycans in cancer mechanics and progression, which is crucial for developing novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies that can disrupt these processes and improve cancer treatment outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Issa Funsho Habeeb
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technlogy, Newark, NJ, United States
| | - Toheeb Eniola Alao
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technlogy, Newark, NJ, United States
| | - Daniella Delgado
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technlogy, Newark, NJ, United States
| | - Alexander Buffone
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technlogy, Newark, NJ, United States
- Chemical and Materials Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technlogy, Newark, NJ, United States
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5
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Yamada K, Asada K, Hanzawa K, Aoki Y, Nakajima K, Kinoshita M. Developing Method for Minor Acidic O-Glycan Analysis in Mucin and Cancer Cell Samples. J Proteome Res 2024; 23:4254-4272. [PMID: 39255405 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.4c00240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/12/2024]
Abstract
Minor acidic glycans, such as sulfated and phosphorylated glycans, constitute only a small fraction of biological glycome, making their analysis a considerable challenge. In this study, we developed a technique to analyze minor acidic O-glycans in biological samples. First, efficient reaction conditions for the release of O-glycans from the proteins were determined. Next, a high-throughput method was established for the recovery of minor acidic glycans using NH2 spin columns. The performance of the established method was evaluated using mucin samples, and sulfated O-glycans were successfully detected in bovine submaxillary gland mucin and porcine stomach mucin. We also analyzed the minor acidic O-glycans in cultured cancer cells. In addition to trifucosylated sulfated O-glycans and disulfated O-glycans, sulfated O-glycans with KDN were detected in LS174T cells. The relative amount of sulfated glycans in LS174T cells was almost 10-fold higher than that in the other cells. Moreover, a large polylactosamine-type sulfated O-glycan with a molecular weight >3500 was detected in MKN45 cells. Interestingly, phosphorylated ribose, possibly bound to serine/threonine, was observed in all the cells used in this study. Thus, our established analytical method allows for the analysis of minor acidic O-glycans that cannot be detected using existing glycomics methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keita Yamada
- The Laboratory of Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Osaka Ohtani University, 3-11-1 Nishikiori-kita, Tondabayashi, Osaka 584-8540, Japan
| | - Kosuke Asada
- The Laboratory of Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Osaka Ohtani University, 3-11-1 Nishikiori-kita, Tondabayashi, Osaka 584-8540, Japan
| | - Ken Hanzawa
- Institute for Glyco-core Research (iGCORE), Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu 501-1193, Japan
| | - Yuma Aoki
- The Laboratory of Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Osaka Ohtani University, 3-11-1 Nishikiori-kita, Tondabayashi, Osaka 584-8540, Japan
| | - Kazuki Nakajima
- Institute for Glyco-core Research (iGCORE), Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu 501-1193, Japan
| | - Mitsuhiro Kinoshita
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Kindai University, 3-4-1 Kowakae, Higashi-osaka, Higashi, Osaka 577-8502, Japan
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6
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Stanley P. Genetics of glycosylation in mammalian development and disease. Nat Rev Genet 2024; 25:715-729. [PMID: 38724711 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-024-00725-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 09/19/2024]
Abstract
Glycosylation of proteins and lipids in mammals is essential for embryogenesis and the development of all tissues. Analyses of glycosylation mutants in cultured mammalian cells and model organisms have been key to defining glycosylation pathways and the biological functions of glycans. More recently, applications of genome sequencing have revealed the breadth of rare congenital disorders of glycosylation in humans and the influence of genetics on the synthesis of glycans relevant to infectious diseases, cancer progression and diseases of the immune system. This improved understanding of glycan synthesis and functions is paving the way for advances in the diagnosis and treatment of glycosylation-related diseases, including the development of glycoprotein therapeutics through glycosylation engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela Stanley
- Department of Cell Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
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7
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Silva AD, Hwang J, Marciel MP, Bellis SL. The pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-6 promote upregulation of the ST6GAL1 sialyltransferase in pancreatic cancer cells. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:107752. [PMID: 39260693 PMCID: PMC11470512 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2024] [Revised: 08/20/2024] [Accepted: 08/26/2024] [Indexed: 09/13/2024] Open
Abstract
The ST6GAL1 sialyltransferase is overexpressed in multiple cancers, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). ST6GAL1 adds an α2-6-linked sialic acid to N-glycosylated membrane receptors, which consequently modulates receptor structure and function. While many studies have investigated the effects of ST6GAL1 on cell phenotype, there is a dearth of knowledge regarding mechanisms that regulate ST6GAL1 expression. In the current study, we evaluated the regulation of ST6GAL1 by two pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-1β and IL-6, which are abundant within the PDAC tumor microenvironment. Cytokine activity was monitored using the Suit-2 PDAC cell line and two Suit-2-derived metastatic subclones, S2-013 and S2-LM7AA. For all three cell models, treatment with IL-1β or IL-6 increased the expression of ST6GAL1 protein and mRNA. Specifically, IL-1β and IL-6 induced expression of the ST6GAL1 YZ mRNA isoform, which is driven by the P3 promoter. The ST6GAL1 H and X isoforms were not detected. Promoter reporter assays confirmed that IL-1β and IL-6 activated transcription from the P3 promoter. We then examined downstream signaling mechanisms. IL-1β is known to signal through the NFκB transcription factor, whereas IL-6 signals through the STAT3 transcription factor. CUT&RUN experiments revealed that IL-1β promoted the binding of NFκB to the ST6GAL1 P3 promoter, and IL-6 induced the binding of STAT3 to the P3 promoter. Finally, we determined that inhibitors of NFκB and STAT3 blocked the upregulation of ST6GAL1 stimulated by IL-1β and IL-6, respectively. Together, these results highlight a novel molecular pathway by which cytokines within the tumor microenvironment stimulate the upregulation of ST6GAL1 in PDAC cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin D Silva
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Jihye Hwang
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Michael P Marciel
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Susan L Bellis
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
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8
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Maimela PWM, Smith M, Nel AJM, Bernam SDP, Jonas EG, Blackburn JM. Humoral immunoprofiling identifies novel biomarkers and an immune suppressive autoantibody phenotype at the site of disease in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Front Oncol 2024; 14:1330419. [PMID: 38450186 PMCID: PMC10917065 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1330419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a heterogeneous cancer, with minimal response to therapeutic intervention and with 85% of cases diagnosed at an advanced stage due to lack of early symptoms, highlighting the importance of understanding PDAC immunology in greater detail. Here, we applied an immunoproteomic approach to investigate autoantibody responses against cancer-testis and tumor-associated antigens in PDAC using a high-throughput multiplexed protein microarray platform, comparing humoral immune responses in serum and at the site of disease in order to shed new light on immune responses in the tumor microenvironment. We simultaneously quantified serum or tissue IgG and IgA antibody isotypes and subclasses in a cohort of PDAC, disease control and healthy patients, observing inter alia that subclass utilization in tumor tissue samples was predominantly immune suppressive IgG4 and inflammatory IgA2, contrasting with predominant IgG3 and IgA1 subclass utilization in matched sera and implying local autoantibody production at the site of disease in an immune-tolerant environment. By comparison, serum autoantibody subclass profiling for the disease controls identified IgG4, IgG1, and IgA1 as the abundant subclasses. Combinatorial analysis of serum autoantibody responses identified panels of candidate biomarkers. The top IgG panel included ACVR2B, GAGE1, LEMD1, MAGEB1 and PAGE1 (sensitivity, specificity and AUC values of 0.933, 0.767 and 0.906). Conversely, the top IgA panel included AURKA, GAGE1, MAGEA10, PLEKHA5 and XAGE3aV1 (sensitivity, specificity, and AUC values of 1.000, 0.800, and 0.954). Assessment of antigen-specific serum autoantibody glycoforms revealed abundant sialylation on IgA in PDAC, consistent with an immune suppressive IgA response to disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela Winnie M. Maimela
- Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Muneerah Smith
- Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Andrew J. M. Nel
- Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | | | - Eduard G. Jonas
- Department of Surgery, Gastroenterology Unit, Groote Schuur Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Jonathan M. Blackburn
- Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Sengenics Corporation, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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9
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Wallace EN, West CA, McDowell CT, Lu X, Bruner E, Mehta AS, Aoki-Kinoshita KF, Angel PM, Drake RR. An N-glycome tissue atlas of 15 human normal and cancer tissue types determined by MALDI-imaging mass spectrometry. Sci Rep 2024; 14:489. [PMID: 38177192 PMCID: PMC10766640 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-50957-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
N-glycosylation is an abundant post-translational modification of most cell-surface proteins. N-glycans play a crucial role in cellular functions like protein folding, protein localization, cell-cell signaling, and immune detection. As different tissue types display different N-glycan profiles, changes in N-glycan compositions occur in tissue-specific ways with development of disease, like cancer. However, no comparative atlas resource exists for documenting N-glycome alterations across various human tissue types, particularly comparing normal and cancerous tissues. In order to study a broad range of human tissue N-glycomes, N-glycan targeted MALDI imaging mass spectrometry was applied to custom formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue microarrays. These encompassed fifteen human tissue types including bladder, breast, cervix, colon, esophagus, gastric, kidney, liver, lung, pancreas, prostate, sarcoma, skin, thyroid, and uterus. Each array contained both normal and tumor cores from the same pathology block, selected by a pathologist, allowing more in-depth comparisons of the N-glycome differences between tumor and normal and across tissue types. Using established MALDI-IMS workflows and existing N-glycan databases, the N-glycans present in each tissue core were spatially profiled and peak intensity data compiled for comparative analyses. Further structural information was determined for core fucosylation using endoglycosidase F3, and differentiation of sialic acid linkages through stabilization chemistry. Glycan structural differences across the tissue types were compared for oligomannose levels, branching complexity, presence of bisecting N-acetylglucosamine, fucosylation, and sialylation. Collectively, our research identified the N-glycans that were significantly increased and/or decreased in relative abundance in cancer for each tissue type. This study offers valuable information on a wide scale for both normal and cancerous tissues, serving as a reference for future studies and potential diagnostic applications of MALDI-IMS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth N Wallace
- Department of Cell and Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA.
| | - Connor A West
- Department of Cell and Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Colin T McDowell
- Department of Cell and Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Xiaowei Lu
- Department of Cell and Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Evelyn Bruner
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Anand S Mehta
- Department of Cell and Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | | | - Peggi M Angel
- Department of Cell and Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Richard R Drake
- Department of Cell and Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA.
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10
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Torres NI, Manselle Cocco MN, Perrotta RM, Mahmoud YD, Salatino M, Mariño KV, Rabinovich GA. A single-step, rapid, and versatile method for simultaneous detection of cell surface glycan profiles using fluorochrome-conjugated lectins. Glycobiology 2023; 33:855-860. [PMID: 37584473 DOI: 10.1093/glycob/cwad065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell surface glycans play essential roles in diverse physiological and pathological processes and their assessment has important implications in biomedicine and biotechnology. Here we present a rapid, versatile, and single-step multicolor flow cytometry method for evaluation of cell surface glycan signatures using a panel of selected fluorochrome-conjugated lectins. This procedure allows simultaneous detection of cell surface glycans with a 10-fold reduction in the number of cells required compared with traditional multistep lectin staining methods. Interestingly, we used this one-step lectin array coupled with dimension reduction algorithms in a proof-of-concept application for discrimination among different tumor and immune cell populations. Moreover, this procedure was also able to unveil T-, B-, and myeloid cell subclusters exhibiting differential glycophenotypes. Thus, we report a rapid and versatile lectin cytometry method to simultaneously detect a particular repertoire of surface glycans on living cells that can be easily implemented in different laboratories and core facilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolás I Torres
- Laboratorio de Glicomedicina, Programa de Glicociencias, Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (IBYME), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), C1428, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Universidad Argentina de la Empresa (UADE), Instituto de Tecnología (INTEC), C1073, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Montana N Manselle Cocco
- Laboratorio de Glicomedicina, Programa de Glicociencias, Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (IBYME), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), C1428, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ramiro M Perrotta
- Laboratorio de Glicomedicina, Programa de Glicociencias, Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (IBYME), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), C1428, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Yamil D Mahmoud
- Laboratorio de Glicomedicina, Programa de Glicociencias, Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (IBYME), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), C1428, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Universidad Argentina de la Empresa (UADE), Instituto de Tecnología (INTEC), C1073, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mariana Salatino
- Laboratorio de Glicomedicina, Programa de Glicociencias, Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (IBYME), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), C1428, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Karina V Mariño
- Laboratorio de Glicómica Funcional y Molecular, Programa de Glicociencias, Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (IBYME), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), C1428, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gabriel A Rabinovich
- Laboratorio de Glicomedicina, Programa de Glicociencias, Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (IBYME), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), C1428, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, C1428, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Bhalerao N, Chakraborty A, Marciel MP, Hwang J, Britain CM, Silva AD, Eltoum IE, Jones RB, Alexander KL, Smythies LE, Smith PD, Crossman DK, Crowley MR, Shin B, Harrington LE, Yan Z, Bethea MM, Hunter CS, Klug CA, Buchsbaum DJ, Bellis SL. ST6GAL1 sialyltransferase promotes acinar to ductal metaplasia and pancreatic cancer progression. JCI Insight 2023; 8:e161563. [PMID: 37643018 PMCID: PMC10619436 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.161563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The role of aberrant glycosylation in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains an under-investigated area of research. In this study, we determined that ST6 β-galactoside α2,6 sialyltransferase 1 (ST6GAL1), which adds α2,6-linked sialic acids to N-glycosylated proteins, was upregulated in patients with early-stage PDAC and was further increased in advanced disease. A tumor-promoting function for ST6GAL1 was elucidated using tumor xenograft experiments with human PDAC cells. Additionally, we developed a genetically engineered mouse (GEM) model with transgenic expression of ST6GAL1 in the pancreas and found that mice with dual expression of ST6GAL1 and oncogenic KRASG12D had greatly accelerated PDAC progression compared with mice expressing KRASG12D alone. As ST6GAL1 imparts progenitor-like characteristics, we interrogated ST6GAL1's role in acinar to ductal metaplasia (ADM), a process that fosters neoplasia by reprogramming acinar cells into ductal, progenitor-like cells. We verified ST6GAL1 promotes ADM using multiple models including the 266-6 cell line, GEM-derived organoids and tissues, and an in vivo model of inflammation-induced ADM. EGFR is a key driver of ADM and is known to be activated by ST6GAL1-mediated sialylation. Importantly, EGFR activation was dramatically increased in acinar cells and organoids from mice with transgenic ST6GAL1 expression. These collective results highlight a glycosylation-dependent mechanism involved in early stages of pancreatic neoplasia.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Jihye Hwang
- Department of Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Boyoung Shin
- Department of Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology
| | | | - Zhaoqi Yan
- Department of Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology
| | | | | | | | - Donald J. Buchsbaum
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
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Pinto D, Parameswaran R. Role of Truncated O-GalNAc Glycans in Cancer Progression and Metastasis in Endocrine Cancers. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:3266. [PMID: 37444377 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15133266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Glycans are an essential part of cells, playing a fundamental role in many pathophysiological processes such as cell differentiation, adhesion, motility, signal transduction, host-pathogen interactions, tumour cell invasion, and metastasis development. These glycans are also able to exert control over the changes in tumour immunogenicity, interfering with tumour-editing events and leading to immune-resistant cancer cells. The incomplete synthesis of O-glycans or the formation of truncated glycans such as the Tn-antigen (Thomsen nouveau; GalNAcα- Ser/Thr), its sialylated version the STn-antigen (sialyl-Tn; Neu5Acα2-6GalNAcα-Ser/Thr) and the elongated T-antigen (Thomsen-Friedenreich; Galβ1-3GalNAcα-Ser/Thr) has been shown to be associated with tumour progression and metastatic state in many human cancers. Prognosis in various human cancers is significantly poor when they dedifferentiate or metastasise. Recent studies in glycobiology have shown truncated O-glycans to be a hallmark of cancer cells, and when expressed, increase the oncogenicity by promoting dedifferentiation, risk of metastasis by impaired adhesion (mediated by selectins and integrins), and resistance to immunological killing by NK cells. Insight into these truncated glycans provides a complimentary and attractive route for cancer antigen discovery. The recent emergence of immunotherapies against cancers is predicted to harness the potential of using such agents against cancer-associated truncated glycans. In this review, we explore the role of truncated O-glycans in cancer progression and metastasis along with some recent studies on the role of O-glycans in endocrine cancers affecting the thyroid and adrenal gland.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diluka Pinto
- Division of Endocrine Surgery, National University Hospital, Singapore 119074, Singapore
| | - Rajeev Parameswaran
- Division of Endocrine Surgery, National University Hospital, Singapore 119074, Singapore
- NUS Centre for Cancer Research, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117599, Singapore
- Department of Surgery, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119228, Singapore
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