In prior work we reported that advanced stage, drug-resistant pancreatic cancer cells (the SW1990 line) can be sensitized to the EGFR-targeting tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) erlotinib and gefitinib by treatment with 1,3,4-O-Bu3ManNAc (Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. (2015) 25(6):1223-7). Here we provide mechanistic insights into how this compound inhibits EGFR activity and provides synergy with TKI drugs. First, we showed that the sialylation of the EGFR receptor was at most only modestly enhanced (by ∼20 to 30%) compared to overall ∼2-fold increase in cell surface levels of this sugar. Second, flux-driven sialylation did not alter EGFR dimerization as has been reported for cancer cell lines that experience increased sialylation due to spontaneous mutations. Instead, we present evidence that 1,3,4-O-Bu3ManNAc treatment weakens the galectin lattice, increases the internalization of EGFR, and shifts endosomal trafficking towards non-clathrin mediated (NCM) endocytosis. Finally, by evaluating downstream targets of EGFR signaling, we linked synergy between 1,3,4-O-Bu3ManNAc and existing TKI drugs to a shift from clathrin-coated endocytosis (which allows EGFR signaling to continue after internalization) towards NCM endocytosis, which targets internalized moieties for degradation and thereby rapidly diminishes signaling.

Clathrin-independent endocytosis (CIE) is a form of endocytosis that lacks a defined cytoplasmic machinery. Here, we asked whether glycan interactions, acting from the outside, could be a part of that endocytic machinery. We show that the perturbation of global cellular patterns of protein glycosylation by modulation of metabolic flux affects CIE. Interestingly, these changes in glycosylation had cargo-specific effects. For example, in HeLa cells, GlcNAc treatment, which increases glycan branching, increased major histocompatibility complex class I (MHCI) internalization but inhibited CIE of the glycoprotein CD59 molecule (CD59). The effects of knocking down the expression of galectin 3, a carbohydrate-binding protein and an important player in galectin-glycan interactions, were also cargo-specific and stimulated CD59 uptake. By contrast, inhibition of all galectin-glycan interactions by lactose inhibited CIE of both MHCI and CD59. None of these treatments affected clathrin-mediated endocytosis, implying that glycosylation changes specifically affect CIE. We also found that the galectin lattice tailors membrane fluidity and cell spreading. Furthermore, changes in membrane dynamics mediated by the galectin lattice affected macropinocytosis, an altered form of CIE, in HT1080 cells. Our results suggest that glycans play an important and nuanced role in CIE, with each cargo being affected uniquely by alterations in galectin and glycan profiles and their interactions. We conclude that galectin-driven effects exist on a continuum from stimulatory to inhibitory, with distinct CIE cargo proteins having unique response landscapes and with different cell types starting at different positions on these conceptual landscapes.

Cancer is characterized by abnormal energy metabolism shaped by nutrient deprivation that malignant cells experience during various stages of tumor development. This study investigated the response of nutrient-deprived cancer cells and their non-malignant counterparts to sialic acid supplementation and found that cells utilize negligible amounts of this sugar for energy. Instead cells use sialic acid to maintain cell surface glycosylation through complementary mechanisms. First, levels of key metabolites (e.g., UDP-GlcNAc and CMP-Neu5Ac) required for glycan biosynthesis are maintained or enhanced upon Neu5Ac supplementation. In concert, sialyltransferase expression increased at both the mRNA and protein levels, which facilitated increased sialylation in biochemical assays that measure sialyltransferase activity as well as at the whole cell level. In the course of these experiments, several important differences emerged that differentiated the cancer cells from their normal counterparts including resistant to sialic acid-mediated energy depletion, consistently more robust sialic acid-mediated glycan display, and distinctive cell surface vs. internal vesicle display of newly-produced sialoglycans. Finally, the impact of sialic acid supplementation on specific markers implicated in cancer progression was demonstrated by measuring levels of expression and sialylation of EGFR1 and MUC1 as well as the corresponding function of sialic acid-supplemented cells in migration assays. These findings both provide fundamental insight into the biological basis of sialic acid supplementation of nutrient-deprived cancer cells and open the door to the development of diagnostic and prognostic tools.

Metastatic human pancreatic cancer cells (the SW1990 line) that are resistant to the EGFR-targeting tyrosine kinase inhibitor drugs (TKI) erlotinib and gefitinib were treated with 1,3,4-O-Bu3ManNAc, a “metabolic glycoengineering” drug candidate that increased sialylation by ∼12-fold. Consistent with genetic methods previously used to increase EGFR sialylation, this small molecule reduced EGF binding, EGFR transphosporylation, and downstream STAT activation. Significantly, co-treatment with both the sugar pharmacophore and the existing TKI drugs resulted in strong synergy, in essence re-sensitizing the SW1990 cells to these drugs. Finally, l,3,4-O-Bu3ManNAz, which is the azido-modified counterpart to l,3,4-O-Bu3ManNAc, provided a similar benefit thereby establishing a broad-based foundation to extend a “metabolic glycoengineering” approach to clinical applications.