VHL-dependent regulation of a β-dystroglycan glycoform and glycogene expression in renal cancer

The Repertoire of Glycan Alterations and Glycoproteins in Human Cancers

Cancer as the leading cause of death worldwide has many issues that still need to be addressed. Since the alterations on the glycan compositions or/and structures (i.e., glycosylation, sialylation, and fucosylation) are common features of tumorigenesis, glycomics becomes an emerging field examining the structure and function of glycans. In the past, cancer studies heavily relied on genomics and transcriptomics with relatively little exploration of the glycan alterations and glycoprotein biomarkers among individuals and populations. Since glycosylation of proteins increases their structural complexity by several orders of magnitude, glycome studies resulted in highly dynamic biomarkers that can be evaluated for cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy. Glycome not only integrates our genetic background with past and present environmental factors but also offers a promise of more efficient patient stratification compared with genetic variations. Therefore, studying glycans holds great potential for better diagnostic markers as well as developing more efficient treatment strategies in human cancers. While recent developments in glycomics and associated technologies now offer new possibilities to achieve a high-throughput profiling of glycan diversity, we aim to give an overview of the current status of glycan research and the potential applications of the glycans in the scope of the personalized medicine strategies for cancer.

Combined Analyses of the VHL and Hypoxia Signaling Axes in an Isogenic Pairing of Renal Clear Cell Carcinoma Cells

The loss of function of the Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor leads to the development of hypervascular tumors, exemplified by clear-cell-type renal cell carcinoma (RCC). VHL governs the adaptive responses to fluctuation of oxygen levels largely through the regulated suppression of hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs). Here, we combine proteome and phospho-proteomic analysis of isogenic 786-O RCC (±VHL) cells to compare signatures that reflect hypoxia and/or loss of VHL. VHL-independent hypoxic responses, notably include up-regulation of phosphorylation at Ser232 on the pyruvate dehydrogenase α subunit that is known to promote glycolysis. Hypoxic responses governed by VHL include up-regulation of known biomarkers of RCC (e.g., GLUT1, NDRG1) and the signaling adaptor molecule IRS-2. Notably, we also observe down-regulation of linked-components associated with the Jacobs-Stewart cycle, including the intracellular carbonic anhydrase II (CA2), which governs cellular response to CO2 fluctuations that often accompany hypoxia in tumors. Further studies indicate an unusual mechanism of control for CA2 expression that, at least in part, reflects enhanced activity of the NFκB pathway, which is associated with loss of VHL.

The glycosyltransferase LARGE2 is repressed by Snail and ZEB1 in prostate cancer

Reductions in both expression of the dystroglycan core protein and functional glycosylation of the α-dystroglycan (αDG) subunit have been reported in a number of cancers and may contribute to disease progression. In the case of prostate cancer, one mechanism that contributes to αDG hypoglycosylation is transcriptional down-regulation of LARGE2 (GYLTY1B), a glycosyltransferase that produces the functional (laminin-binding) glycan on αDG, but the mechanism(s) underlying reduction of LARGE2 mRNA remain unclear. Here, we show that αDG hypoglycosylation is associated with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-like status. We examined immunoreactivity for both functionally-glycosylated αDG and E-cadherin by flow cytometry and the relative expression of ZEB1 mRNA and the αDG glycosyltransferase LARGE2 mRNA in prostate and other cancer cell lines by quantitative RT-PCR. To study the role of ZEB1 and other transcription factors in the regulation of LARGE2, we employed overexpression and knockdown approaches. Snail- or ZEB1-driven EMT caused αDG hypoglycosylation by repressing expression of the LARGE2 mRNA, with both ZEB1-dependent and -independent mechanisms contributing to Snail-mediated LARGE2 repression. To examine the direct regulation of LARGE2 by Snail and ZEB1 we employed luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. Snail and ZEB1 were found to bind directly to the LARGE2 promoter, specifically to E/Z-box clusters. Furthermore, analysis of gene expression profiles of clinical samples in The Cancer Genome Atlas reveals negative correlation of LARGE2 and ZEB1 expression in various cancers. Collectively, our results suggest that LARGE2 is negatively regulated by Snail and/or ZEB1, revealing a mechanistic basis for αDG hypoglycosylation during prostate cancer progression and metastasis.