Project description:Aberrant glycosylation is a crucial strategy employed by cancer cells to evade cellular immunity. However, homologous recombination (HR) status-dependent glycosylation has never been explored therapeutically. Here, we show that the inhibition of branched N-glycans sensitizes HR-proficient, but not HR-deficient, epithelial ovarian cancers (EOCs) to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). In contrast to fucosylation whose inhibition sensitizes EOCs to anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy regardless of HR-status, we observe a unique enrichment of branched N-glycans on HR-proficient compared to HR-deficient EOCs. Mechanistically, BRCA1/2 transcriptionally promotes the expression of MGAT5, the enzyme responsible for catalyzing branched N-glycans. The branched N-glycans on HR-proficient tumors augment their resistance to anti-PD-L1 by enhancing its binding with PD-1 on CD8_ T cells. In orthotopic syngeneic EOC mouse models, inhibiting branched N-glycans, using 2-Deoxy-D-glucose, sensitizes HR-proficient, but not HR-deficient EOCs, to anti-PD-L1. These findings indicate branched N-glycans as promising therapeutic targets whose inhibition sensitizes HR-proficient EOCs to ICB by overcoming immune evasion
Project description:Aberrant glycosylation is a crucial strategy employed by cancer cells to evade cellular immunity. However, homologous recombination (HR) status-dependent glycosylation has never been explored therapeutically. Here, we show that the inhibition of branched N-glycans sensitizes HR-proficient, but not HR-deficient, epithelial ovarian cancers (EOCs) to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). In contrast to fucosylation whose inhibition sensitizes EOCs to anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy regardless of HR-status, we observe a unique enrichment of branched N-glycans on HR-proficient compared to HR-deficient EOCs. Mechanistically, BRCA1/2 transcriptionally promotes the expression of MGAT5, the enzyme responsible for catalyzing branched N-glycans. The branched N-glycans on HR-proficient tumors augment their resistance to anti-PD-L1 by enhancing its binding with PD-1 on CD8_ T cells. In orthotopic syngeneic EOC mouse models, inhibiting branched N-glycans, using 2-Deoxy-D-glucose, sensitizes HR-proficient, but not HR-deficient EOCs, to anti-PD-L1. These findings indicate branched N-glycans as promising therapeutic targets whose inhibition sensitizes HR-proficient EOCs to ICB by overcoming immune evasion
Project description:Silencing branched-chain ketoacid dehydrogenase kinase exacerbates doxorubicin induced cytotoxicity in triple-negative breast cancer cells
Project description:Background: Oligoclonal bands (OCBs) are a hallmark of multiple sclerosis (MS), yet their molecular characteristics and pathogenic relevance remain incompletely understood. Recent evidence suggests that immunoglobulin G (IgG) aggregates and glycosylation may contribute to neuroinflammation and neuronal injury in MS.
Methods: We analyzed paired cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma samples from MS patients and other neurological controls using transmission electron microscopy, protein aggregation assays, proteomics, isoelectric focusing immunoblotting, and western blots. Neuronal cytotoxicity was assessed using human iPSC-derived neurons and SH-SY5Y cells. IgG glycosylation was evaluated by enzymatic deglycosylation and lectin-based detection.
Results: We identified large IgG aggregates (>100 nm) in MS CSF, which were absent in controls and induced complement-dependent neuronal apoptosis. These aggregates were enriched in OCBs and were disrupted by urea or glycine-HCl, resulting in the loss of OCBs. Proteomic analysis revealed enrichment of IgG subclasses and complement components in MS CSF. In addition, MS CSF contained significantly elevated levels of galactosylated and sialylated IgG compared to paired plasma. Enzymatic removal of glycans reduced both OCB intensity and neuronal cytotoxicity.
Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that CNS-compartmentalized IgG aggregates and glycosylation contribute to the formation of OCBs and neuronal cytotoxicity in MS. These results provide new insights into the molecular basis of OCBs and suggest that targeting IgG glycosylation or aggregation may offer novel therapeutic strategies for MS.
Project description:Barrier formation by primary human airway epithelial cells sets limits to Staphylococcus aureus adhesion, invasion and cytotoxicity
Project description:Glycosylation is central to the localization and function of biomolecules1. We recently discovered that small RNAs undergo N-glycosylation2 at the modified RNA base 3-(3-amino-3-carboxypropyl) uridine (acp3U)3. However, the functional significance of N-glycosylation of RNAs is unknown. Here we show that the N-glycans on glycoRNAs prevent innate immune sensing of endogenous small RNAs. We found that de-N-glycosylation of cell culture-derived and circulating human and mouse glycoRNA elicited potent inflammatory responses including the production of type I interferons in a TLR3- and TLR7-dependent manner. Further, we show that N-glycans of cell surface RNAs prevent apoptotic cells from triggering endosomal RNA sensors in efferocytes, thus facilitating the non-inflammatory clearance of dead cells. Mechanistically, N-glycans conceal the hypermodified uracil base acp3U, which we identified as immunostimulatory when exposed in RNA. Consistent with this, genetic deletion of an enzyme (DTWD2) that synthesizes acp3U abrogated innate immune activation by de-N-glycosylated of small RNAs and apoptotic cells. Additionally, synthetic acp3U-containing RNAs are sufficient to trigger innate immune responses. Thus, our study has uncovered a natural mechanism by which N-glycans block RNAs from inducing acp3U-driven innate immune activation, demonstrating how glycoRNAs exist on the cell surface and in the endosomal network without inducing autoinflammatory responses.
Project description:Postoperative insulin resistance refers to the phenomenon that the body’s glucose uptake stimulated by insulin is reduced due to stress effects such as trauma or the inhibitory effect of insulin on liver glucose output is weakened after surgery.
There is a clear link between postoperative insulin resistance and poor perioperative prognosis. Therefore, exploring interventions to reduce postoperative stress insulin resistance, stabilize postoperative blood glucose, and reduce postoperative complications are clinical problems that need to be solved urgently. In recent years, research on branched-chain amino acids and metabolic diseases has become a hot spot. Studies have found that in the rat model, preoperatively given a high branched-chain amino acid diet can inhibit postoperative insulin resistance and stabilize blood glucose levels. This research plan is to try to add branched-chain amino acids before surgery to observe the occurrence of postoperative insulin resistance in patients.
Project description:The E3 ubiquitin ligase Ufd4/TRIP12 and the E4 enzyme Ufd2 are capable of catalyzing branched ubiquitination. Here, we employ LC-MS/MS to characterize the specific ubiquitin linkage types involved in these branched ubiquitin chains.