Abstract A037: Metabolic maneuvering of glycocalyx hypersialylation is a smart and healthy way of curbing metastatic potential in breast cancer
Authors: Kamra Mohini , Chen Yuan-I , Delgado Paula C , Yeh Tim , Brock Amy , Parekh Sapun H 
Published: February 2024

Metastatic breast cancer is currently the most deadly and incurable stage of breast cancer. A recent metabolic screen has identified sialic acid as a key player in progression of breast cancer metastasis. In the present study, we metabolically target the hypersialylation of metastatic breast cancer cells using appropriately designed nutritionary interventions. Our rationales are the following: (a) The aberrantly sialylated, hyperbranched glycocalyx promotes metastasis by facilitating cellular migration and immune evasion. (b) As hypersialylation relies heavily on enhanced sialic acid biosynthesis from the oncogenic glycolytic surge and preferential dietary uptake of glucose by cancer cells, it stands to reason that dietary changes can impact the extent of sialylation of the glycocalyx. Considering these points, we hypothesized that it was possible to control the degree of glycocalyx sialylation in breast cancer cells using an appropriate nutritionary regimen, which will in turn modulate the progression to invasive phenotype. The goal is to harness the metabolism of cancer cells themselves to curb their metastatic potential. Using a specific ketone-body forming metabolite called 3-hydroxybutyrate (HB) and lowering of glucose concentration, the cell culture medium was modified to mimic ketogenic diet. The response of metastatic breast cancer cells and normal breast epithelial cells was then monitored. The two main measures of cellular response were: cell surface sialylation via fluorescence microscopy and fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) of intracellular NADH as a marker of metabolic index. We are currently investigating the consequences of nutritionary interventions on metastatic potential of breast cancer cells by measuring their impact on cellular proliferation, clonogenicity and migratory abilities. We have observed that the main metabolite of ketogenic diet, HB, tends to protect metastatic breast cancer cells from DOX treatment when supplemented in a low-glucose (LG) medium. However, the extent of increase in cell surface sialylation is very modest in comparison to that in normal breast epithelial cells. This differential increase in sialylation implies that a ketogenic diet might significantly promote the proliferation of healthy cells over the proliferation of metastatic breast cancer cells. FLIM measurements indicate that the chemotherapeutic, Doxorubicin tends to induce an initial preference for glycolysis in invasive breast cancer cells. While an HB rich LG media by itself promotes glycolysis in these cells, it suppresses any further Doxorubicin induced onset of glycolysis pointing to a protective mechanism against the chemotherapeutic. Through this ongoing study, we aim to decipher the right set of nutrients that would “deshield” the breast cancer cells and lower their metastatic disposition. The ultimate goal of our research is to determine a paradigm of drugs and diet that metastatic breast cancer cells are most responsive to, and that would translate into a viable remedy for metastatic breast cancer with minimal side-effects.

Citation Format: Mohini Kamra, Yuan-I Chen, Paula C Delgado, Tim Yeh, Amy Brock, Sapun H Parekh. Metabolic maneuvering of glycocalyx hypersialylation is a smart and healthy way of curbing metastatic potential in breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Advances in Breast Cancer Research; 2023 Oct 19-22; San Diego, California. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(3 Suppl_1):Abstract nr A037.