Issue 3, 2020

β-Catenin/CBP inhibition alters epidermal growth factor receptor fucosylation status in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a major driver of head and neck cancer, a devastating malignancy with a major sub-site in the oral cavity manifesting as oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). EGFR is a glycoprotein receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) whose activity is upregulated in >80% OSCC. Current anti-EGFR therapy relies on the use of cetuximab, a monoclonal antibody against EGFR, although it has had only a limited response in patients. Here, we uncover a novel mechanism regulating EGFR activity, identifying a role of the nuclear branch of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, the β-catenin/CBP axis, in control of post-translational modification of N-glycans on the EGFR. Genomic and structural analyses reveal that β-catenin/CBP signaling represses fucosylation on the antennae of N-linked glycans on EGFR. By employing nUPLC-MS/MS, we determined that malignant human OSCC cells harbor EGFR with a paucity of N-glycan antennary fucosylation, while indolent cells display higher levels of fucosylation at sites N420 and N579. Additionally, treatment with either ICG-001 or E7386, which are both small molecule inhibitors of β-catenin/CBP signaling, leads to increased transcriptional expression of fucosyltransferases FUT2 and FUT3, with a concomitant increase in EGFR N-glycan antennary fucosylation. In order to discover which fucosylated glycan epitopes are involved in the observed effect, we performed in-depth characterization of multiply-fucosylated N-glycans via tandem mass spectrometry analysis of the EGFR tryptic glycopeptides. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD017060. We propose that β-catenin/CBP signaling promotes EGFR oncogenic activity in OSCC by inhibiting its N-glycan antennary fucosylation through transcriptional repression of FUT2 and FUT3.

Graphical abstract: β-Catenin/CBP inhibition alters epidermal growth factor receptor fucosylation status in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Research Article
Submitted
10 Jan 2020
Accepted
09 Mar 2020
First published
11 Mar 2020

Mol. Omics, 2020,16, 195-209

β-Catenin/CBP inhibition alters epidermal growth factor receptor fucosylation status in oral squamous cell carcinoma

K. B. Chandler, K. A. Alamoud, V. L. Stahl, B. Nguyen, V. K. Kartha, M. V. Bais, K. Nomoto, T. Owa, S. Monti, M. A. Kukuruzinska and C. E. Costello, Mol. Omics, 2020, 16, 195 DOI: 10.1039/D0MO00009D

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