Stable expression of sialyl-Tn antigen in T47-D cells induces a decrease of cell adhesion and an increase of cell migration

• Published in: Breast cancer research and treatment Vol. 90; no. 1; pp. 77 - 84
• Main Authors: JULIEN, Sylvain, LAGADEC, Chann, KRZEWINSKI-RECCHI, Marie-Ange, COURTAND, Gilles, LE BOURHIS, Xuefen, DELANNOY, Philippe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer 01.03.2005; Springer Nature B.V; Springer Verlag
• Subjects: Antigens; Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate - metabolism; Biochemistry, Molecular Biology; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers, Tumor - metabolism; Breast cancer; Breast Neoplasms - metabolism; Cancer research; Cell Adhesion; Cell adhesion & migration; Cell Line, Tumor - metabolism; Cell Movement; Glycosylation; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Humans; Life Sciences; Mammary gland diseases; Medical sciences; Sialyltransferases - metabolism; Tumors; Carbohydrate antigen; Tumor associated antigen; O-glycosylation; Glycosylation; Tumoral marker; Breast cancer; Malignant tumor; Gene expression; Adhesion; In vitro; ST6GalNAc I; sialyl-Tn; Mammary gland diseases; Cell motility; migration; Cell migration; breast Cancer; Sialyl-Tn; cell adhesion
• DOI: 10.1007/s10549-004-3137-3
• ISSN: 0167-6806

Sialyl-Tn is a carbohydrate antigen overexpressed in several epithelial cancers including breast cancer, and usually associated with poor prognosis. Sialyl-Tn is synthesized by a CMP-Neu5Ac: GalNAc alpha2,6-sialyltransferase: ST6GalNAc I, which catalyzes the transfer of a sialic acid residue in alpha2,6-linkage to the GalNAcalpha1-O-Ser/Thr structure. The resulting disaccharide (Neu5Acalpha2-6GalNAcalpha1-O-Ser/Thr) cannot be further elongated and sialyl-Tn expression results therefore in a shortening of the O-glycan chains. However, usual breast cancer cell lines express neither ST6GalNAc I nor sialyl-Tn antigen. We have previously shown that stable transfection of MDA-MB-231 cells with the hST6GalNAc I cDNA induces the sialyl-Tn antigen expression at the cell surface and leads to a decreased cell growth and an increased cell migration. We describe herein the generation of new T47-D clones expressing sialyl-Tn antigen after hST6GalNAc I cDNA stable transfection. sialyl-Tn antigen is carried by several high molecular weight membrane bound O-glycoproteins, including MUC1. We show that sialyl-Tn expression induces a decrease of cell growth and adhesion, and an increase of cell migration in sialyl-Tn positive clones compared to mock transfected cells. These observations show that the alteration of the O-glycans pattern is sufficient to modify the biological features of cancer cells. These T47-D sialyl-Tn expressing clones might allow further in vivo investigation to determine precisely the impact of such O-glycosylation modifications on breast cancer development.