Concerted changes in transcriptional regulation of genes involved in DNA methylation, demethylation, and folate-mediated one-carbon metabolism pathways in the NCI-60 cancer cell line panel in response to cancer drug treatment

Association of changes in expression of HDAC and SIRT genes after drug treatment with cancer cell line sensitivity to kinase inhibitors

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) and sirtuins (SIRTs) are important epigenetic regulators of cancer pathways. There is a limited understanding of how transcriptional regulation of their genes is affected by chemotherapeutic agents, and how such transcriptional changes affect tumour sensitivity to drug treatment. We investigated the concerted transcriptional response of HDAC and SIRT genes to 15 approved antitumor agents in the NCI-60 cancer cell line panel. Antitumor agents with diverse mechanisms of action induced upregulation or downregulation of multiple HDAC and SIRT genes. HDAC5 was upregulated by dasatinib and erlotinib in the majority of the cell lines. Tumour cell line sensitivity to kinase inhibitors was associated with upregulation of HDAC5, HDAC1, and several SIRT genes. We confirmed changes in HDAC and SIRT expression in independent datasets. We also experimentally validated the upregulation of HDAC5 mRNA and protein expression by dasatinib in the highly sensitive IGROV1 cell line. HDAC5 was not upregulated in the UACC-257 cell line resistant to dasatinib. The effects of cancer drug treatment on expression of HDAC and SIRT genes may influence chemosensitivity and may need to be considered during chemotherapy.

Machine Learning-Based Integrated Multiomics Characterization of Colorectal Cancer Reveals Distinctive Metabolic Signatures

The metabolic signature identification of colorectal cancer is critical for its early diagnosis and therapeutic approaches that will significantly block cancer progression and improve patient survival. Here, we combined an untargeted metabolic analysis strategy based on internal extractive electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and the machine learning approach to analyze metabolites in 173 pairs of cancer samples and matched normal tissue samples to build robust metabolic signature models for diagnostic purposes. Screening and independent validation of metabolic signatures from colorectal cancers via machine learning methods (Logistic Regression_L1 for feature selection and eXtreme Gradient Boosting for classification) was performed to generate a panel of seven signatures with good diagnostic performance (the accuracy of 87.74%, sensitivity of 85.82%, and specificity of 89.66%). Moreover, seven signatures were evaluated according to their ability to distinguish between cancer and normal tissues, with the metabolic molecule PC (30:0) showing good diagnostic performance. In addition, genes associated with PC (30:0) were identified by multiomics analysis (combining metabolic data with transcriptomic data analysis) and our results showed that PC (30:0) could promote the proliferation of colorectal cancer cell SW480, revealing the correlation between genetic changes and metabolic dysregulation in cancer. Overall, our results reveal potential determinants affecting metabolite dysregulation, paving the way for a mechanistic understanding of altered tissue metabolites in colorectal cancer and design interventions for manipulating the levels of circulating metabolites.

GART Functions as a Novel Methyltransferase in the RUVBL1/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway to Promote Tumor Stemness in Colorectal Cancer

Tumor stemness is associated with the recurrence and incurability of colorectal cancer (CRC), which lacks effective therapeutic targets and drugs. Glycinamide ribonucleotide transformylase (GART) fulfills an important role in numerous types of malignancies. The present study aims to identify the underlying mechanism through which GART may promote CRC stemness, as to developing novel therapeutic methods. An elevated level of GART is associated with poor outcomes in CRC patients and promotes the proliferation and migration of CRC cells. CD133+ cells with increased GART expression possess higher tumorigenic and proliferative capabilities both in vitro and in vivo. GART is identified to have a novel methyltransferase function, whose enzymatic activity center is located at the E948 site. GART also enhances the stability of RuvB-like AAA ATPase 1 (RUVBL1) through methylating its K7 site, which consequently aberrantly activates the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway to induce tumor stemness. Pemetrexed (PEM), a compound targeting GART, combined with other chemotherapy drugs greatly suppresses tumor growth both in a PDX model and in CRC patients. The present study demonstrates a novel methyltransferase function of GART and the role of the GART/RUVBL1/β-catenin signaling axis in promoting CRC stemness. PEM may be a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of CRC.

Therapeutic targeting of DNA damage repair pathways guided by homologous recombination deficiency scoring in ovarian cancers

The susceptibility of cells to DNA damage and their DNA repair ability are crucial for cancer therapy. Homologous recombination is one of the major repairing mechanisms for DNA double-strand breaks. Approximately half of ovarian cancer (OvCa) cells harbor homologous recombination deficiency (HRD). Considering that HRD is a major hallmark of OvCas, scholars proposed HRD scoring to evaluate the HRD degree and guide the choice of therapeutic strategies for OvCas. In the last decade, synthetic lethal strategy by targeting poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) in HR-deficient OvCas has attracted considerable attention in view of its favorable clinical effort. We therefore suggested that the uses of other DNA damage/repair-targeted drugs in HR-deficient OvCas might also offer better clinical outcome. Here, we reviewed the current small molecule compounds that targeted DNA damage/repair pathways and discussed the HRD scoring system to guide their clinical uses.

Impact of 5HydroxyMethylCytosine (5hmC) on reverse/direct association of cell-cycle, apoptosis, and extracellular matrix pathways in gastrointestinal cancers

BACKGROUND

Aberrant levels of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) can lead to cancer progression. Identification of 5-hmC-related biological pathways in cancer studies can produce better understanding of gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. We conducted a network-based analysis on 5-hmC levels extracted from circulating free DNAs (cfDNA) in GI cancers including colon, gastric, and pancreatic cancers, and from healthy donors. The co-5-hmC network was reconstructed using the weighted-gene co-expression network method. The cancer-related modules/subnetworks were detected. Preservation of three detected 5-hmC-related modules was assessed in an external dataset. The 5-hmC-related modules were functionally enriched, and biological pathways were identified. The relationship between modules was assessed using the Pearson correlation coefficient (p-value < 0.05). An elastic network classifier was used to assess the potential of the 5-hmC modules in distinguishing cancer patients from healthy individuals. To assess the efficiency of the model, the Area Under the Curve (AUC) was computed using five-fold cross-validation in an external dataset.

RESULTS

The main biological pathways were the cell cycle, apoptosis, and extracellular matrix (ECM) organization. Direct association between the cell cycle and apoptosis, inverse association between apoptosis and ECM organization, and inverse association between the cell cycle and ECM organization were detected for the 5-hmC modules in GI cancers. An AUC of 92% (0.73-1.00) was observed for the predictive model including 11 genes.

CONCLUSION

The intricate association between biological pathways of identified modules may reveal the hidden significance of 5-hmC in GI cancers. The identified predictive model and new biomarkers may be beneficial in cancer detection and precision medicine using liquid biopsy in the early stages.

Identification of miRNAs and genes for predicting Barrett's esophagus progressing to esophageal adenocarcinoma using miRNA-mRNA integrated analysis

Barrett's esophagus (BE) is defined as any metaplastic columnar epithelium in the distal esophagus, which predisposes to esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Yet, the mechanism through which BE develops to EAC still remain unclear. Moreover, the miRNA-mRNA regulatory network in distinguishing BE from EAC still remains poorly understood. To identify differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) and genes (DEGs) between EAC and BE from tissue samples, gene expression microarray datasets GSE13898, GSE26886, GSE1420 and miRNA microarray datasets GSE16456, GSE20099 were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. GEO2R was used to screen the DEMs and DEGs. Pathway and functional enrichment analysis were performed by DAVID database. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed by STRING and been visualized by Cytoscape software. Finnal, survival analysis was performed basing TCGA database. A total of 21 DEMs were identified. The enriched functions and pathways analysis inclued Epstein-Barr virus infection, herpesvirus infection and TRP channels. GART, TNFSF11, GTSE1, NEK2, ICAM1, PSMD12, CTNNB1, CDH1, PSEN1, IL1B, CTNND1, JAG1, CDH17, ITCH, CALM1 and ITGA6 were considered as the hub-genes. Hsa-miR-143 and hsa-miR-133b were the highest connectivity target gene. JAG1 was predicted as the largest number of target miRNAs. The expression of hsa-miR-181d, hsa-miR-185, hsa-miR-15b, hsa-miR-214 and hsa-miR-496 was significantly different between normal tissue and EAC. CDH1, GART, GTSE1, NEK2 and hsa-miR-496, hsa-miR-214, hsa-miR-15b were found to be correlated with survival.

GADD45α alleviates the CDDP resistance of SK-OV3/cddp cells via redox-mediated DNA damage

Epithelial ovarian cancer has the highest mortality rate of all malignant ovarian cancer types. Great progress has been made in the treatment of ovarian cancer in recent years. However, drug resistance has led to a low level of 5-year survival rate of epithelial ovarian cancer, and the molecular mechanism of which remains unknown. The aim of the present study was to identify the role of redox status in the cisplatin (CDDP) resistance of ovarian cancer. CDDP-resistant SK-OV3 (SK-OV3/cddp) cells were prepared and their reactive oxygen species and glutathione levels were investigated. The effects of hydrogen peroxide on the CDDP sensitivity of the SK-OV3/cddp cells and their expression levels of the redox-associated protein growth arrest and DNA damage 45a (GADD45α) were also investigated. In addition, the impact of GADD45α overexpression on cell viability was evaluated in vitro and in vivo, and the levels of Ser-139 phosphorylated H2A histone family member X (γ-H2AX), which is associated with DNA damage, were detected. The results suggested that redox status affected the drug resistance of the ovarian cancer cells by increasing the expression of GADD45α. The overexpression of GADD45α reversed the CDDP resistance of the SK-OV3/cddp cells and increased the level of γ-H2AX. In conclusion, GADD45α alleviated the CDDP resistance of SK-OV3/cddp cells via the induction of redox-mediated DNA damage.

Epigenetics of Most Aggressive Solid Tumors: Pathways, Targets and Treatments

Highly aggressive tumors are characterized by a highly invasive phenotype, and they display chemoresistance. Furthermore, some of the tumors lack expression of biomarkers for target therapies. This is the case of small-cell lung cancer, triple-negative breast cancer, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, glioblastoma, metastatic melanoma, and advanced ovarian cancer. Unfortunately, these patients show a low survival rate and most of the available drugs are ineffective. In this context, epigenetic modifications have emerged to provide the causes and potential treatments for such types of tumors. Methylation and hydroxymethylation of DNA, and histone modifications, are the most common targets of epigenetic therapy, to influence gene expression without altering the DNA sequence. These modifications could impact both oncogenes and tumor suppressor factors, which influence several molecular pathways such as epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, WNT/β-catenin, PI3K-mTOR, MAPK, or mismatch repair machinery. However, epigenetic changes are inducible and reversible events that could be influenced by some environmental conditions, such as UV exposure, smoking habit, or diet. Changes in DNA methylation status and/or histone modification, such as acetylation, methylation or phosphorylation, among others, are the most important targets for epigenetic cancer therapy. Therefore, the present review aims to compile the basic information of epigenetic modifications, pathways and factors, and provide a rationale for the research and treatment of highly aggressive tumors with epigenetic drugs.

High-throughput analyses and Bayesian network modeling highlight novel epigenetic Adverse Outcome Pathway networks of DNA methyltransferase inhibitor mediated transgenerational effects

A number of epigenetic modulating chemicals are known to affect multiple generations of a population from a single ancestral exposure, thus posing transgenerational hazards. The present study aimed to establish a high-throughput (HT) analytical workflow for cost-efficient concentration-response analysis of epigenetic and phenotypic effects, and to support the development of novel Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) networks for DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) inhibitor-mediated transgenerational effects on aquatic organisms. The model DNMT inhibitor 5-azacytidine (5AC) and the model freshwater crustacean Daphnia magna were used to generate new experimental data and served as prototypes to construct AOPs for aquatic organisms. Targeted HT bioassays (DNMT ELISA, MS-HRM and qPCR) in combination with multigenerational ecotoxicity tests revealed concentration-dependent transgenerational (F0-F3) effects of 5AC on total DNMT activity, DNA promoter methylation, gene body methylation, gene transcription and reproduction. Top sensitive toxicity pathways related to 5AC exposure, such as apoptosis and DNA damage responses were identified in both F0 and F3 using Gaussian Bayesian network modeling. Two novel epigenetic AOP networks on DNMT inhibitor mediated one-generational and transgenerational effects were developed for aquatic organisms and assessed for the weight of evidence. The new HT analytical workflow and AOPs can facilitate future ecological hazard assessment of epigenetic modulating chemicals.

Intranasal perillyl alcohol therapy improves survival of patients with recurrent glioblastoma harboring mutant variant for MTHFR rs1801133 polymorphism

Background

Polymorphisms in MTHFR gene influence risk and overall survival of patients with brain tumor. Global genomic DNA (gDNA) methylation profile from tumor tissues is replicated in peripheral leukocytes. This study aimed to draw a correlation between rs1801133 MTHFR variants, gDNA methylation and overall survival of patients with recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM) under perillyl alcohol (POH) treatment.

Methods

gDNA from whole blood was extracted using a commercially available kit (Axygen) and quantified by spectrophotometry. Global gDNA methylation was determined by ELISA and rs1801133 polymorphism by PCR-RFLP. Statistical analysis of gDNA methylation profile and rs1801133 variants included Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, Spearman point-biserial correlation tests (SPSS and Graphpad Prism packages; significant results for effect size higher than 0.4). Prognostic value of gDNA methylation and rs1801133 variants considered survival profiles at 25 weeks of POH treatment, having the date of protocol adhesion as starting count and death as the final event.

Results

Most rGBM patients showed global gDNA hypomethylation (median = 31.7%) and a significant, moderate and negative correlation between TT genotype and gDNA hypomethylation (median = 13.35%; rho = − 0.520; p = 0.003) compared to CC variant (median = 32.10%), which was not observed for CT variant (median = 33.34%; rho = − 0.289; p = 0.06). gDNA hypermethylated phenotype (median = 131.90%) exhibited significant, moderate and negative correlations between TT genotype (median = 112.02%) and gDNA hypermethylation levels when compared to CC (median = 132.45%; rho = − 0,450; p = 0.04) or CT (median = 137.80%; rho = − 0.518; p = 0.023) variants. TT variant of rs1801133 significantly decreased gDNA methylation levels for both patient groups, when compared to CC (d values: hypomethylated = 1.189; hypermethylated = 0.979) or CT (d values: hypomethylated = 0.597; hypermethylated = 1.167) variants. Positive prognostic for rGBM patients may be assigned to gDNA hypermethylation for survivors above 25 weeks of treatment (median = 88 weeks); and TT variant of rs1801133 regardless POH treatment length.

Conclusion

rGBM patients under POH-based therapy harboring hypermethylated phenotype and TT variant for rs1801133 had longer survival. Intranasal POH therapy mitigates detrimental effects of gDNA hypomethylation and improved survival of patients with rGBM harboring TT mutant variant for MTHFR rs1801133 polymorphism.

Trial registration

CONEP -9681- 25,000.009267 / 2004. Registered 12th July, 2004.

Is an "Epigenetic Diet" for Migraines Justified? The Case of Folate and DNA Methylation

Migraines are a common disease with limited treatment options and some dietary factors are recognized to trigger headaches. Although migraine pathogenesis is not completely known, aberrant DNA methylation has been reported to be associated with its occurrence. Folate, an essential micronutrient involved in one-carbon metabolism and DNA methylation, was shown to have beneficial effects on migraines. Moreover, the variability of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene, important in both folate metabolism and migraine pathogenesis, modulates the beneficial effects of folate for migraines. Therefore, migraine could be targeted by a folate-rich, DNA methylation-directed diet, but there are no data showing that beneficial effects of folate consumption result from its epigenetic action. Furthermore, contrary to epigenetic drugs, epigenetic diets contain many compounds, some yet unidentified, with poorly known or completely unknown potential to interfere with the epigenetic action of the main dietary components. The application of epigenetic diets for migraines and other diseases requires its personalization to the epigenetic profile of a patient, which is largely unknown. Results obtained so far do not warrant the recommendation of any epigenetic diet as effective in migraine prevention and therapy. Further studies including a folate-rich diet fortified with valproic acid, another modifier of epigenetic profile effective in migraine prophylaxis, may help to clarify this issue.

Novel Prognostic Markers in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Discovered by MALDI-Mass Spectrometry Imaging

There are no widely-accepted prognostic markers currently available to predict outcomes in patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), and no targeted therapies with confirmed benefit. We have used MALDI mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) of tryptic peptides to compare regions of cancer and benign tissue in 10 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections of TNBC tumors. Proteins were identified by reference to a peptide library constructed by LC-MALDI-MS/MS analyses of the same tissues. The prognostic significance of proteins that distinguished between cancer and benign regions was estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis of their gene expression from public databases. Among peptides that distinguished between cancer and benign tissue in at least 3 tissues with a ROC area under the curve >0.7, 14 represented proteins identified from the reference library, including proteins not previously associated with breast cancer. Initial network analysis using the STRING database showed no obvious functional relationships except among collagen subunits COL1A1, COL1A2, and COL63A, but manual curation, including the addition of EGFR to the analysis, revealed a unique network connecting 10 of the 14 proteins. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis to examine the relationship between tumor expression of genes encoding the 14 proteins, and recurrence-free survival (RFS) in patients with basal-like TNBC showed that, compared to low expression, high expression of nine of the genes was associated with significantly worse RFS, most with hazard ratios >2. In contrast, in estrogen receptor-positive tumors, high expression of these genes showed only low, or no, association with worse RFS. These proteins are proposed as putative markers of RFS in TNBC, and some may also be considered as possible targets for future therapies.

A Phase I Study of Pegylated Arginine Deiminase (Pegargiminase), Cisplatin, and Pemetrexed in Argininosuccinate Synthetase 1-Deficient Recurrent High-grade Glioma

PURPOSE

Patients with recurrent high-grade gliomas (HGG) are usually managed with alkylating chemotherapy ± bevacizumab. However, prognosis remains very poor. Preclinically, we showed that HGGs are a target for arginine depletion with pegargiminase (ADI-PEG20) due to epimutations of argininosuccinate synthetase (ASS1) and/or argininosuccinate lyase (ASL). Moreover, ADI-PEG20 disrupts pyrimidine pools in ASS1-deficient HGGs, thereby impacting sensitivity to the antifolate, pemetrexed.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We expanded a phase I trial of ADI-PEG20 with pemetrexed and cisplatin (ADIPEMCIS) to patients with ASS1-deficient recurrent HGGs (NCT02029690). Patients were enrolled (01/16-06/17) to receive weekly ADI-PEG20 36 mg/m² intramuscularly plus pemetrexed 500 mg/m² and cisplatin 75 mg/m² intravenously once every 3 weeks for up to 6 cycles. Patients with disease control were allowed ADI-PEG20 maintenance. The primary endpoints were safety, tolerability, and preliminary estimates of efficacy.

RESULTS

Ten ASS1-deficient heavily pretreated patients were treated with ADIPEMCIS therapy. Treatment was well tolerated with the majority of adverse events being Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v4.03 grade 1-2. The best overall response was stable disease in 8 patients (80%). Plasma arginine was suppressed significantly below baseline with a reciprocal increase in citrulline during the sampling period. The anti-ADI-PEG20 antibody titer rose during the first 4 weeks of treatment before reaching a plateau. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 5.2 months (95% confidence interval (CI), 2.5-20.8) and overall survival was 6.3 months (95% CI, 1.8-9.7).

CONCLUSIONS

In this recurrent HGG study, ADIPEMCIS was well tolerated and compares favorably to historical controls. Additional trials of ADI-PEG20 in HGG are planned.

The NCI Transcriptional Pharmacodynamics Workbench: A Tool to Examine Dynamic Expression Profiling of Therapeutic Response in the NCI-60 Cell Line Panel

: The intracellular effects and overall efficacies of anticancer therapies can vary significantly by tumor type. To identify patterns of drug-induced gene modulation that occur in different cancer cell types, we measured gene-expression changes across the NCI-60 cell line panel after exposure to 15 anticancer agents. The results were integrated into a combined database and set of interactive analysis tools, designated the NCI Transcriptional Pharmacodynamics Workbench (NCI TPW), that allows exploration of gene-expression modulation by molecular pathway, drug target, and association with drug sensitivity. We identified common transcriptional responses across agents and cell types and uncovered gene-expression changes associated with drug sensitivity. We also demonstrated the value of this tool for investigating clinically relevant molecular hypotheses and identifying candidate biomarkers of drug activity. The NCI TPW, publicly available at https://tpwb.nci.nih.gov, provides a comprehensive resource to facilitate understanding of tumor cell characteristics that define sensitivity to commonly used anticancer drugs. SIGNIFICANCE: The NCI Transcriptional Pharmacodynamics Workbench represents the most extensive compilation to date of directly measured longitudinal transcriptional responses to anticancer agents across a thoroughly characterized ensemble of cancer cell lines.

Single nanomolar doxorubicin exposure triggers compensatory mitochondrial responses in H9c2 cardiomyoblasts

Dose-dependent and cumulative cardiotoxicity associated with doxorubicin (DOX) is the main limitation of anticancer therapy. Pediatric cancer survivors are particularly vulnerable, and no effective prevention measures are available. The aim of the present study was to investigate the persistent effects of nanomolar DOX concentrations and determine whether a pretreatment would induce mitochondrial adaptations in H9c2 cardiomyoblasts. H9c2 cells were incubated with DOX (10 and 25 nM) for 24 h, followed by 9 days of recovery in drug-free medium. We found that the sub-therapeutic DOX treatment induced persistent hypertrophy and dose-dependent cell cycle arrest in G2/M. Glycolytic activity, indirectly based on extracellular acidification rate, and basal respiration were significantly decreased in DOX-treated cells compared to controls, although both groups showed similar maximal respiration. Additionally, nanomolar DOX pretreatment resulted in upregulation of mitochondrial DNA transcripts accompanied by a decrease in DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) and global methylation levels. Finally, the pretreatment with DOX ameliorated H9c2 cells resistance against a subsequent exposure to DOX. These results suggest that nanomolar DOX pretreatment induced a beneficial and possibly epigenetic-based mitochondrial adaptation, raising the possibility that an early sub-therapeutic DOX treatment can be used as a preconditioning and protective approach during anticancer therapies.

Translational study identifies XPF and MUS81 as predictive biomarkers for oxaliplatin-based peri-operative chemotherapy in patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma

Oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy is used to treat patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), but no biomarkers are currently available for patient selection. We performed a prospective, clinical trial to identify potential biomarkers associated with clinical outcomes. Tumor tissue was obtained from 38 patients with resectable EAC before and after 2 cycles of oxaliplatin-fluorouracil chemotherapy. Pre-treatment mRNA expression of 280 DNA repair (DNAR) genes was tested for association with histopathological regression at surgery, disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). High expression of 13 DNA damage repair genes was associated with DFS less than one year (P < 0.05); expression of 11 DNAR genes were associated with worse OS (P < 0.05). From clinical associations with outcomes, two genes, ERCC1 and EME1, were identified as candidate biomarkers. In cell lines in vitro, we showed the mechanism of action related to repair of oxaliplatin-induced DNA damage by depletion and knockout of protein binding partners of the candidate biomarkers, XPF and MUS81 respectively. In clinical samples from the clinical trial, pre-treatment XPF protein levels were associated with pathological response, and MUS81 protein was associated with 1-year DFS. XPF and MUS81 merit further validation in prospective clinical trials as biomarkers that may predict clinical response of EAC to oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy.

Longitudinal Transcriptional Response of Glycosylation-Related Genes, Regulators, and Targets in Cancer Cell Lines Treated With 11 Antitumor Agents

Cellular glycosylation processes are vital to cell functioning. In malignant cells, they are profoundly altered. We used time-course gene expression data from the NCI-60 cancer cell lines treated with 11 antitumor agents to analyze expression changes of genes involved in glycosylation pathways, genes encoding glycosylation targets or regulators, and members of cancer pathways affected by glycosylation. We also identified glycosylation genes for which pretreatment expression levels or changes after treatment were correlated with drug sensitivity. Their products are involved in N-glycosylation and O-glycosylation, fucosylation, biosynthesis of poly-N-acetyllactosamine, removal of misfolded proteins, binding to hyaluronic acid and other glycans, and cell adhesion. Tumor cell sensitivity to multiple agents was correlated with transcriptional response of C1GALT1C1, FUCA1, SDC1, MUC1; members of the MGAT, GALNT, B4GALT, B3GNT, MAN, and EDEM families; and other genes. These genes may be considered as potential candidates for drug targeting in combination therapy to enhance treatment response.