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Dashzeveg NK, Jia Y, Zhang Y, Gerratana L, Patel P, Shajahan A, Dandar T, Ramos EK, Almubarak HF, Adorno-Cruz V, Taftaf R, Schuster EJ, Scholten D, Sokolowski MT, Reduzzi C, El-Shennawy L, Hoffmann AD, Manai M, Zhang Q, D'Amico P, Azadi P, Colley KJ, Platanias LC, Shah AN, Gradishar WJ, Cristofanilli M, Muller WA, Cobb BA, Liu H. Dynamic Glycoprotein Hyposialylation Promotes Chemotherapy Evasion and Metastatic Seeding of Quiescent Circulating Tumor Cell Clusters in Breast Cancer. Cancer Discov 2023; 13:2050-2071. [PMID: 37272843 PMCID: PMC10481132 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-22-0644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Revised: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Most circulating tumor cells (CTC) are detected as single cells, whereas a small proportion of CTCs in multicellular clusters with stemness properties possess 20- to 100-times higher metastatic propensity than the single cells. Here we report that CTC dynamics in both singles and clusters in response to therapies predict overall survival for breast cancer. Chemotherapy-evasive CTC clusters are relatively quiescent with a specific loss of ST6GAL1-catalyzed α2,6-sialylation in glycoproteins. Dynamic hyposialylation in CTCs or deficiency of ST6GAL1 promotes cluster formation for metastatic seeding and enables cellular quiescence to evade paclitaxel treatment in breast cancer. Glycoproteomic analysis reveals newly identified protein substrates of ST6GAL1, such as adhesion or stemness markers PODXL, ICAM1, ECE1, ALCAM1, CD97, and CD44, contributing to CTC clustering (aggregation) and metastatic seeding. As a proof of concept, neutralizing antibodies against one newly identified contributor, PODXL, inhibit CTC cluster formation and lung metastasis associated with paclitaxel treatment for triple-negative breast cancer. SIGNIFICANCE This study discovers that dynamic loss of terminal sialylation in glycoproteins of CTC clusters contributes to the fate of cellular dormancy, advantageous evasion to chemotherapy, and enhanced metastatic seeding. It identifies PODXL as a glycoprotein substrate of ST6GAL1 and a candidate target to counter chemoevasion-associated metastasis of quiescent tumor cells. This article is featured in Selected Articles from This Issue, p. 1949.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nurmaa K. Dashzeveg
- Department of Pharmacology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Yuzhi Jia
- Department of Pharmacology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Youbin Zhang
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Lorenzo Gerratana
- Department of Medicinal Oncology, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano (CRO), IRCCS, Aviano, Italy
| | - Priyam Patel
- Quantitative Data Science Core, Center for Genetic Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Asif Shajahan
- Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
| | - Tsogbadrakh Dandar
- Department of Pharmacology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Erika K. Ramos
- Department of Pharmacology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Hannah F. Almubarak
- Department of Pharmacology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Valery Adorno-Cruz
- Department of Pharmacology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Rokana Taftaf
- Department of Pharmacology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Emma J. Schuster
- Department of Pharmacology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - David Scholten
- Department of Pharmacology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Michael T. Sokolowski
- Department of Pharmacology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Carolina Reduzzi
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Lamiaa El-Shennawy
- Department of Pharmacology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Andrew D. Hoffmann
- Department of Pharmacology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Maroua Manai
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Qiang Zhang
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Paolo D'Amico
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Parastoo Azadi
- Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
| | - Karen J. Colley
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Leonidas C. Platanias
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
- Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Ami N. Shah
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
- Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - William J. Gradishar
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
- Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Massimo Cristofanilli
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
- Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - William A. Muller
- Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Brian A. Cobb
- Department of Pathology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Huiping Liu
- Department of Pharmacology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
- Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
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