Abstract 1508: Membrane heparan sulfate proteoglycans work with cadherins to establish the directional orientation of migrating cancer cells
Authors: Lorenzo Depau, Jlenia Brunetti, Chiara Falciani, Marta Garfì, Maria Francesca Paolocci, Alessandro Pini, Luisa Bracci
Journal: Cancer Research (2024)

Abstract A role of heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) in cancer cell differentiation, proliferation and migration has been recognized and related to their ability to specifically interact with growth factors, morphogens, and extracellular matrix proteins, mainly through sulfated groups on their glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains. Due to the considerable diversity of HSPGs and of their GAG chains, and to the lack of specific ligands, a precise molecular characterization of the biological role of HSPGs in cancer cells is still lacking. HSPGs, besides working as coreceptors for growth factors and morphogens, may have a determinant and autonomous role in cancer signaling events, regulating cell adhesion, migration, and invasiveness. Being overexpressed and over sulfated in cancer cells, HSPGs may become attractive tumor targets for cancer diagnosis and therapy. We had used the tetra-branched peptide NT4, which binds sulphated GAG chains of HSPGs, to validate HSPGs as potential tumor associated antigens in different human solid tumors. The same NT4 peptide had been tested as a tumor targeting agent for either cancer cell imaging or therapy, in vitro and in vivo [1]. Once identified the sulfated GAG specificity of NT4, the peptide has also been used as a specific tool for studying the role of HSPGs in cancer cell migration and invasiveness, with the aim of proposing HSPG as potential drug targets for interfering with cancer invasiveness and metastatic potential [2,3]. We found that NT4 inhibits adhesion, oriented migration, and colony formation in different human cancer cell lines. We investigated the role of HSPGs in migration of different human cancer cell lines, displaying either single-cell mesenchymal migration (PANC-1 pancreas adenocarcinoma, and MDA-MB-231 breast adenocarcinoma) or collective migration (MCF-7 breast adenocarcinoma). After assessing the expression of HSPG and of E- and N- cadherin in each cell line, their specific cellular distribution was detected by confocal microscopy in migrating cells, in wound healing experiments. We found that distribution of either E- or N- cadherins on the membrane of migrating cells is complementary to that of HSPG. This is particularly clear in collective migration, where HSPGs are exclusively located on the migration front of leader cells, whereas cadherins are only expressed by follower cells. Our results suggest that HSPG may have a crucial role in defining the front of migrating cells, while cadherin-mediated cell-cell contacts on the opposite site, may contribute to inducing protrusion formation at the front of migrating cells, as already suggested [4]. [1]- Brunetti J et al. Sci. Rep. 2015, 5, 17736; [2]- Brunetti J et al. Sci. Rep. 2016, 6, 27174; [3]- Depau L et al. J Med Chem 2020, 63, 15997; [4]- Grimaldi C et al Nat Commun 2020, 11, 5397 Citation Format: Lorenzo Depau, Jlenia Brunetti, Chiara Falciani, Marta Garfì, Maria Francesca Paolocci, Alessandro Pini, Luisa Bracci. Membrane heparan sulfate proteoglycans work with cadherins to establish the directional orientation of migrating cancer cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 1508.