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Wu G, Grassi P, Molina BG, MacIntyre DA, Sykes L, Bennett PR, Dell A, Haslam SM. Glycomics of cervicovaginal fluid from women at risk of preterm birth reveals immuno-regulatory epitopes that are hallmarks of cancer and viral glycosylation. Sci Rep 2024; 14:20813. [PMID: 39242814 PMCID: PMC11379862 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-71950-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 09/02/2024] [Indexed: 09/09/2024] Open
Abstract
During pregnancy the immune system needs to maintain immune tolerance of the foetus while also responding to infection, which can cause premature activation of the inflammatory pathways leading to the onset of labour and preterm birth. The vaginal microbiome is an important modifier of preterm birth risk, with Lactobacillus dominance during pregnancy associated with term delivery while high microbial diversity is associated with an increased risk of preterm birth. Glycans on glycoproteins along the lower female reproductive tract are fundamental to microbiota-host interactions and the mediation of inflammatory responses. However, the specific glycan epitopes involved in these processes are not well understood. To address this, we conducted glycomic analyses of cervicovaginal fluid (CVF) from 36 pregnant women at high risk of preterm birth and 4 non-pregnant women. Our analysis of N- and O-glycans revealed a rich CVF glycome. While O-glycans were shown to be the main carriers of ABO blood group epitopes, the main features of N-glycans were the presence of abundant paucimannose and high mannose glycans, and a remarkable diversity of complex bi-, tri-, and tetra-antennary glycans decorated with fucose and sialic acid. We identified immuno-regulatory epitopes, such as Lewis antigens, and found that fucosylation was negatively correlated to pro-inflammatory factors, such as IL-1β, MMP-8, C3a and C5a, while glycans with only sialylated antennae were mainly positively correlated to those. Similarly, paucimannose glycans showed a positive correlation to pro-inflammatory factors. We revealed a high abundance of glycans which have previously been identified as hallmarks of cancer and viral glycosylation, such as Man8 and Man9 high mannose glycans. Although each pregnant woman had a unique glycomic profile, longitudinal studies showed that the main glycosylation features were consistent throughout pregnancy in women who delivered at term, whereas women who experienced extreme preterm birth exhibited sharp changes in the CVF glycome shortly before delivery. These findings shed light on the processes underlying the role of glycosylation in maintaining a healthy vaginal microbiome and associated host immune responses. In addition, these discoveries facilitate our understanding of the lower female reproductive tract which has broad implications for women's health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gang Wu
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
- March of Dimes Prematurity Research Centre at Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Paola Grassi
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
- March of Dimes Prematurity Research Centre at Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Belen Gimeno Molina
- March of Dimes Prematurity Research Centre at Imperial College London, London, UK
- Institute of Reproductive & Developmental Biology, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, UK
- The Parasol Foundation Centre for Women's Health and Cancer Research, St Mary's Hospital, London, W1 2NY, UK
| | - David A MacIntyre
- March of Dimes Prematurity Research Centre at Imperial College London, London, UK
- Institute of Reproductive & Developmental Biology, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, UK
| | - Lynne Sykes
- March of Dimes Prematurity Research Centre at Imperial College London, London, UK
- Institute of Reproductive & Developmental Biology, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, UK
- The Parasol Foundation Centre for Women's Health and Cancer Research, St Mary's Hospital, London, W1 2NY, UK
| | - Phillip R Bennett
- March of Dimes Prematurity Research Centre at Imperial College London, London, UK
- Institute of Reproductive & Developmental Biology, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, UK
| | - Anne Dell
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK.
- March of Dimes Prematurity Research Centre at Imperial College London, London, UK.
| | - Stuart M Haslam
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK.
- March of Dimes Prematurity Research Centre at Imperial College London, London, UK.
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Mandato VD, Torricelli F, Mastrofilippo V, Vacca I, Melli B, Generali M, Annunziata G, Pirillo D, D'Ippolito G, Ciarlini G, Aguzzoli L. ABO/Rh Blood Group and Cervical Cancer Survival: Results from Our Own and Other Studies. J Cancer 2024; 15:4777-4788. [PMID: 39132152 PMCID: PMC11310867 DOI: 10.7150/jca.95245] [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: 02/11/2024] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 08/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: Cervical cancer is the most common genital cancer worldwide and is mainly caused by a persistent human papillomavirus infection. Well-known prognostic factors are age, histology, stage, stromal invasion, tumor size, and tumor grade. The relationship between the ABO and Rh system with cervical cancer has been studied since the 1950s, though without obtaining clear results. Here we investigated the association between the ABO blood group and Rh system and consecutively treated cervical cancer patients in our department. Methods: Clinical charts of cervical cancer patients treated and followed from 2010 to 2021 were checked for inclusion and exclusion criteria. Clinical and pathological data were recorded in a separate, anonymous, password-protected electronic database. All relevant data were extrapolated and used for final analysis. Results: A population of 143 cervical cancer patients was analyzed in this study. 47.6% (68/143) were blood group O, 36.4% (52/143) were blood group A, 8.4% (12/143) were blood group AB, and 7.7% (11/143) were blood group B. 14.9% (21/141) were RhD negative, while 85.1% (120/141) were RhD positive. No significant association was found between the ABO group and survival. However, patients with blood types B and AB had a higher BMI than the other blood types. RhD-negative patients exhibited a lower age at diagnosis (P=0.035) and had a higher overall survival compared to RhD-positive patients. Conclusions: The RhD factor appears to influence cervical cancer OS, but the data are too weakly significant to draw a definitive conclusion. Further studies with larger samples are needed to confirm this finding and to investigate the true impact of blood groups in female cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincenzo Dario Mandato
- Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecologic Oncology, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Federica Torricelli
- Laboratory of Translational Research, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, 42122 Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Valentina Mastrofilippo
- Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecologic Oncology, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Ilaria Vacca
- Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecologic Oncology, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Beatrice Melli
- Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecologic Oncology, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
- Molecular Pathology Unit, Azienda USL-IRCCS, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy
- Clinical and Experimental Medicine PhD Program, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41121 Modena, Italy
| | - Matteo Generali
- Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecologic Oncology, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Gianluca Annunziata
- Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecologic Oncology, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Debora Pirillo
- Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecologic Oncology, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Giovanni D'Ippolito
- Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecologic Oncology, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Gino Ciarlini
- Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecologic Oncology, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Aguzzoli
- Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecologic Oncology, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
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Blood group antigens SLeX, SLeA, and LeY as prognostic markers in endometrial cancer. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2022; 148:3323-3335. [PMID: 35729354 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-022-04098-8] [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: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common gynecological cancer worldwide. Treatment has been improved in recent years, but, in advanced stages, therapeutical options are still limited. It has been reported that the expression of the blood group antigens Sialyl Lewis X (SLeX), Sialyl Lewis A (SLeA) and Lewis Y (LeY) is associated with prognosis in several tumors. Large studies on endometrial and cervical cancer are still pending. METHODS Specimens of 234 patients with EC were immunohistochemically stained with antibodies for SLeX, SLeA and LeY. Expression was correlated to histopathological variables. RESULTS High expression of SLeX was correlated to low pT-stage (p = 0.013), low grade (p < 0.001), low FIGO-stage (p = 0.006) and better overall survival rates (OS; p = 0.023). High expression of SLeA was associated with low pT-stage (p = 0.013), low grade (p = 0.001) and better progression-free survival (PFS; p = 0.043). LeY staining was correlated to pN + (p = 0.038), low grade (p = 0.005) and poorer PFS (p = 0.022). CONCLUSION This is the first study examining the expression of SLeX, SLeA and LeY in EC, which can serve as additional future prognostic markers. Further studies are necessary to understand the underlying mechanisms. The study was approved by the local ethics committee of the Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich (reference number 19-249).
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Velázquez-Márquez N, Santos-López G, Jiménez-Aranda L, Reyes-Leyva J, Vallejo-Ruiz V. Sialyl Lewis x expression in cervical scrapes of premalignant lesions. J Biosci 2013; 37:999-1004. [PMID: 23151790 DOI: 10.1007/s12038-012-9261-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Sialylated oligosaccharides of glycoproteins and glycolipids have been implicated in tumour progression and metastases. Altered expression of glycosidic antigens has been reported in cervical cancer. In cervix premalignant lesions, an increased expression of sialic acid has been reported. In the present study we determined the expression profiles of the glycosidic antigens Tn, sialyl Tn (sTn), Lewis a (Lea), sialyl Lewis a (sLea), Lewis x (Lex) and sialyl Lewis x (sLex) in cervical scrapes with cytological diagnoses of normal, low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LGSIL) and highgrade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HGSIL). Cervical scrapings were collected to detect tumour antigens expressions by flow cytometry using monoclonal antibodies. Cytometry analysis of Tn, sTn, Lea and Lex did not reveal differences at the expression level among groups. The number of positive cells to sLea antigen increased in the HGSIL group with respect to the normal group (p=0.0495). The number of positive cells to sLex antigen in the samples increased with respect to the grade of squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL) (p less than 0.001, Mann-Whitney U test). The intensity of expression of this antigen increased in the HGSIL samples with respect to normal samples (p less than 0.0068). sLex antigen could be a candidate to be used as biomarker for the early diagnosis of cervical cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noé Velázquez-Márquez
- Laboratorio de Biologia Molecular y Virologia, Centro de Investigacion Biomedica de Oriente, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Km 4.5 Carretera Federal Atlixco-Metepec, Atlixco, Puebla, Mexico C.P. 74360
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Li H, Tong S, Liu J, Han L, Yang X, Hou H, Yan Q, Wang XQ. Differential fucosyltransferase IV expression in squamous carcinoma cells is regulated by promoter methylation. Cell Mol Biol Lett 2012; 17:206-16. [PMID: 22287018 PMCID: PMC6275976 DOI: 10.2478/s11658-012-0003-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2011] [Accepted: 01/20/2012] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Enhanced fucosyltransferase IV (FUT4) expression correlates with increased tumor malignancy in many carcinomas. However, little is known about the regulation of FUT4 expression, and whether FUT4 expression is influenced by the methylation status of the FUT4 promoter is unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that FUT4 expression is negatively correlated with the methylation degree of a CpG island in the FUT4 promoter, suggesting that the methylation status of FUT4 promoter regulates the expression of FUT4. The results indicate that manipulating the methylation status of the FUT4 promoter to regulate FUT4 expression may be a novel approach in the treatment of malignant tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyan Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China
- College of Life Science, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China
| | - Shaoming Tong
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China
- College of Life Science, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jiwei Liu
- Department of Oncology, 1st Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China
| | - Li Han
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xuesong Yang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China
| | - Hesheng Hou
- College of Life Science, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China
| | - Qiu Yan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiao-Qi Wang
- Departments of Dermatology and Pediatrics, Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois USA
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