Decreased core-fucosylation contributes to malignancy in gastric cancer

PLoS One. 2014 Apr 14;9(4):e94536. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0094536. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

The object of the study is to identify N-glycan profiling changes associated with gastric cancer and explore the impact of core-fucosylation on biological behaviors of human gastric cancer cells. A total of 244 subjects including gastric cancer, gastric ulcer and healthy control were recruited. N-glycan profiling from serum and total proteins in gastric tissues was analyzed by DNA sequencer-assisted fluorophore-assisted capillary electrophoresis. The abundance of total core-fucosylated residues and the expression of enzymes involved in core-fucosylation were analyzed with lectin blot, quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, western blot, Immunohistochemical staining and lectin-histochemical staining. The recombinant plasmids of GDP-fucose transporter and α-1,6-fucosyltransferase (Fut8) were constructed and transfected into gastric cancer cell lines BGC-823 and SGC-7901. CCK-8 and wound healing assay were used to assess the functional impact of core-fucosylation modulation on cell proliferation and migration. Characteristic serum N-glycan profiles were found in gastric cancer. Compared with the healthy control, a trianntenary structure abundance, peak 9 (NA3Fb), was increased significantly in gastric cancer, while the total abundance of core-fucosylated residues (sumfuc) was decreased. Core-fucosylated structures, peak6(NA2F) and peak7(NA2FB) were deceased in gastric tumor tissues when compared with that in adjacent non-tumor tissues. Consistently, lens culinaris agglutinin (LCA)-binding proteins were decreased significantly in sera of gastric cancer, and protein level of Fut8 was decreased significantly in gastric tumor tissues compared with that in adjacent non-tumor tissues. Upregulation of GDP-Tr and Fut8 could inhibit proliferation, but had no significant influence on migration of BGC-823 and SGC-7901 cells. Core-fucosylation is down regulated in gastric cancer. Upregulation of core-fucosylation could inhibit proliferation of the human gastric cancer cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biomarkers, Tumor / metabolism
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Movement
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Demography
  • Disease Progression
  • Female
  • Fucose / metabolism*
  • Fucosyltransferases / metabolism
  • Glycomics
  • Humans
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • N-Acetylneuraminic Acid / chemistry
  • N-Acetylneuraminic Acid / metabolism
  • Polysaccharides / blood
  • Polysaccharides / chemistry
  • Stomach Neoplasms / blood
  • Stomach Neoplasms / enzymology
  • Stomach Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Stomach Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Stomach Ulcer / metabolism
  • Stomach Ulcer / pathology
  • Wound Healing
  • alpha-L-Fucosidase / metabolism

Substances

  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • Polysaccharides
  • Fucose
  • Fucosyltransferases
  • Glycoprotein 6-alpha-L-fucosyltransferase
  • alpha-L-Fucosidase
  • N-Acetylneuraminic Acid

Grants and funding

The study was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81201697, 81101639 and No. 81271925); Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (No. 10ZR1439100 and No. 11JC1416400).The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.