Reciprocal relationship of Tn/NF-κB and sTn as an indicator of the prognosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma

Tn as a potential predictor for regional lymph node metastasis in T1 colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND

Approximately 10 percent of T1 colorectal cancer (CRC) has lymph node metastasis. In this study, we aimed to determine possible predictors for nodal involvement in order to aid selection of appropriate patients for organ-preserving strategies.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed CRC patients underwent radical surgery from January 2009 to December 2016, with final pathology report disclosed as T1 lesion. The paraffin-embedded samples were achieved for glycosylated proteins expression analysis by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

Totally, 111 CRC patients with T1 lesion were enrolled in this study. Of these patients, seventeen patients had nodal metastases, with the lymph node positive rate of 15.3%. Semiquantitative analysis of immunohistochemical results indicated that mean value of Tn protein expression in T1 CRC specimens was significantly different between patients with and without lymph node metastasis (63.6 vs. 27.4; p = 0.018).

CONCLUSIONS

Our data shown that Tn expression may be applied as a molecular predictor for regional lymph node metastasis in T1 CRC. Moreover, the organ-preserving strategy could be improved by proper classification of patients. The mechanism involved in expression of Tn glycosylation protein and CRC metastasis need further investigation.

Bridging Glycomics and Genomics: New Uses of Functional Genetics in the Study of Cellular Glycosylation

All living cells are coated with a diverse collection of carbohydrate molecules called glycans. Glycans are key regulators of cell behavior and important therapeutic targets for human disease. Unlike proteins, glycans are not directly templated by discrete genes. Instead, they are produced through multi-gene pathways that generate a heterogenous array of glycoprotein and glycolipid antigens on the cell surface. This genetic complexity has sometimes made it challenging to understand how glycosylation is regulated and how it becomes altered in disease. Recent years, however, have seen the emergence of powerful new functional genomics technologies that allow high-throughput characterization of genetically complex cellular phenotypes. In this review, we discuss how these techniques are now being applied to achieve a deeper understanding of glyco-genomic regulation. We highlight specifically how methods like ChIP-seq, RNA-seq, CRISPR genomic screening and scRNA-seq are being used to map the genomic basis for various cell-surface glycosylation states in normal and diseased cell types. We also offer a perspective on how emerging functional genomics technologies are likely to create further opportunities for studying cellular glycobiology in the future. Taken together, we hope this review serves as a primer to recent developments at the glycomics-genomics interface.

Anti-Tn Monoclonal Antibody Attenuates Hyperoxia-Induced Lung Injury by Inhibiting Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Neonatal Mice

Maternal immunization with Tn vaccine increases serum anti-Tn antibody titers and attenuates hyperoxia-induced lung injury in neonatal rats. This study determined whether anti-Tn monoclonal antibody can protect against hyperoxia-induced lung injury in neonatal mice. Newborn BALB/c mice were exposed to room air (RA) or normobaric hyperoxia (85% O₂) for 1 week, creating four study groups as follows: RA + phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), RA + anti-Tn monoclonal antibody, O₂ + PBS, and O₂ + anti-Tn monoclonal antibody. The anti-Tn monoclonal antibody at 25 μg/g body weight in 50 μl PBS was intraperitoneally injected on postnatal days 2, 4, and 6. Hyperoxia reduced body weight and survival rate, increased mean linear intercept (MLI) and lung tumor necrosis factor-α, and decreased vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression and vascular density on postnatal day 7. Anti-Tn monoclonal antibody increased neonatal serum anti-Tn antibody titers, reduced MLI and cytokine, and increased VEGF expression and vascular density to normoxic levels. The attenuation of lung injury was accompanied by a reduction in lung oxidative stress and nuclear factor-κB activity. Anti-Tn monoclonal antibody improves alveolarization and angiogenesis in hyperoxia-injured newborn mice lungs through the suppression of oxidative stress and inflammation.

Engineered CAR T Cells Targeting the Cancer-Associated Tn-Glycoform of the Membrane Mucin MUC1 Control Adenocarcinoma

Genetically modified T cells expressing chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) demonstrate robust responses against lineage restricted, non-essential targets in hematologic cancers. However, in solid tumors, the full potential of CAR T cell therapy is limited by the availability of cell surface antigens with sufficient cancer-specific expression. The majority of CAR targets have been normal self-antigens on dispensable hematopoietic tissues or overexpressed shared antigens. Here, we established that abnormal self-antigens can serve as targets for tumor rejection. We developed a CAR that recognized cancer-associated Tn glycoform of MUC1, a neoantigen expressed in a variety of cancers. Anti-Tn-MUC1 CAR T cells demonstrated target-specific cytotoxicity and successfully controlled tumor growth in xenograft models of T cell leukemia and pancreatic cancer. These findings demonstrate the therapeutic efficacy of CAR T cells directed against Tn-MUC1 and present aberrantly glycosylated antigens as a novel class of targets for tumor therapy with engineered T cells.

The cytokine-cosmc signaling axis upregulates the tumor-associated carbohydrate antigen Tn

Tn antigen (GalNAc-α-O-Ser/Thr), a mucin-type O-linked glycan, is a well-established cell surface marker for tumors and its elevated levels have been correlated with cancer progression and prognosis. There are also reports that Tn is elevated in inflammatory tissues. However, the molecular mechanism for its elevated levels in cancer and inflammation is unclear. In the current studies, we have explored the possibility that cytokines may be one of the common regulatory molecules for elevated Tn levels in both cancer and inflammation. We showed that the Tn level is elevated by the conditioned media of HrasG12V-transformed-BEAS-2B cells. Similarly, the conditioned media obtained from LPS-stimulated monocytes also elevated Tn levels in primary human gingival fibroblasts, suggesting the involvement of cytokines and/or other soluble factors. Indeed, purified inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α and IL-6 up-regulated Tn levels in gingival fibroblasts. Furthermore, TNF-α was shown to down-regulate the COSMC gene as evidenced by reduced levels of the COSMC mRNA and protein, as well as hypermethylation of the CpG islands of the COSMC gene promoter. Since Cosmc, a chaperone for T-synthase, is known to negatively regulate Tn levels, our results suggest elevated Tn levels in cancer and inflammation may be commonly regulated by the cytokine-Cosmc signaling axis.