Post-translational modifications of proteins are important for the regulation of cell functions; one of these modifications is post-translational arginylation. In the present study, we show that cytoplasmic CRT (calreticulin) is arginylated by ATE1 (arginyl-tRNA protein transferase). We also show that a pool of CRT undergoes retrotranslocation from the ER (endoplasmic reticulum) to the cytosol, because in CRT-knockout cells transfected with full-length CRT (that has the signal peptide), cytoplasmic CRT appears as a consequence of its expression and processing in the ER. After the cleavage of the signal peptide, an N-terminal arginylatable residue is revealed prior to retrotranslocation to the cytoplasm where arginylation takes place. SGs (stress granules) from ATE1-knockout cells do not contain CRT, indicating that CRT arginylation is required for its association to SGs. Furthermore, R-CRT (arginylated CRT) in the cytoplasm associates with SGs in cells treated with several stressors that lead to a reduction of intracellular Ca2+ levels. However, in the presence of stressors that do not affect Ca2+ levels, R-CRT is not recruited to these loci despite the fact that SGs are formed, demonstrating Ca2+-dependent R-CRT association to SGs. We conclude that post-translational arginylation of retrotranslocated CRT, together with the decrease in intracellular Ca2+, promotes the association of CRT to SGs.

Asparagine (N)-linked glycosylation is a posttranslational modification essential for the function of complex transmembrane proteins. However, targeting glycosylation for cancer therapy has not been feasible due to generalized effects on all glycoproteins. Here, we perform sensitivity screening of 94 lung cancer cell lines using NGI-1, a small-molecule inhibitor of the oligosaccharyltransferase (OST) that partially disrupts N-linked glycosylation, and demonstrate a selective loss of tumor cell viability. This screen revealed NGI-1 sensitivity in just 11 of 94 (12%) cell lines, with a significant correlation between OST and EGFR inhibitors. In -mutant non-small cell lung cancer with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) resistance (PC9-GR, HCC827-GR, and H1975-OR), OST inhibition maintained its ability to induce cell-cycle arrest and a proliferative block. Addition of NGI-1 to EGFR TKI treatment was synthetic lethal in cells resistant to gefitinib, erlotinib, or osimertinib. OST inhibition invariably disrupted EGFR N-linked glycosylation and reduced activation of receptors either with or without the T790M TKI resistance mutation. OST inhibition also dissociated EGFR signaling from other coexpressed receptors like MET via altered receptor compartmentalization. Translation of this approach to preclinical models was accomplished through synthesis and delivery of NGI-1 nanoparticles, confirmation of activity through molecular imaging, and demonstration of significant tumor growth delay in TKI-resistant HCC827 and H1975 xenografts. This therapeutic strategy breaks from kinase-targeted approaches and validates N-linked glycosylation as an effective target in tumors driven by glycoprotein signaling.-mutant NSCLC is incurable despite the marked sensitivity of these tumors to EGFR TKIs. These findings identify N-linked glycosylation, a posttranslational modification common to EGFR and other oncogenic signaling proteins, as an effective therapeutic target that enhances tumor responses for -mutant NSCLC..

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