title: Lectins identify glycan biomarkers on glioblastoma-derived cancer stem cells.
abstract: Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive primary brain tumor with a poor prognosis. Despite aggressive therapy with surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, nearly all patients succumb to disease within 2 years. Several studies have supported the presence of stem-like cells in brain tumor cultures that are CD133-positive, are capable of self-renewal, and give rise to all cell types found within the tumor, potentially perpetuating growth. CD133 is a widely accepted marker for glioma-derived cancer stem cells; however, its reliability has been questioned, creating a need for other identifiers of this biologically important subpopulation. We used a panel of 20 lectins to identify differences in glycan expression found in the glycocalyx of undifferentiated glioma-derived stem cells and differentiated cells that arise from them. Fluorescently labeled lectins that specifically recognize α-N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) and α-N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) differentially bound to the cell surface based on the state of cellular differentiation. GalNAc and GlcNAc were highly expressed on the surface of undifferentiated cells and showed markedly reduced expression over a 12-day duration of differentiation. Additionally, the GalNAc-recognizing lectin Dolichos biflorus agglutinin was capable of specifically selecting and sorting glioma-derived stem cell populations from an unsorted tumor stock and this subpopulation had proliferative properties similar to CD133(+) cells in vitro and also had tumor-forming capability in vivo. Our preliminary results on a single cerebellar GBM suggest that GalNAc and GlcNAc are novel biomarkers for identifying glioma-derived stem cells and can be used to isolate cancer stem cells from unsorted cell populations, thereby creating new cell lines for research or clinical testing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tucker-Burden
authors.forename: Prasanthi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chappa
authors.forename: Malini
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krishnamoorthy
authors.forename: Brian A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Gerwe
authors.forename: Christopher D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Scharer
authors.forename: Jamie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heimburg-Molinaro
authors.forename: Wayne
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: Sümeyra Naz
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Usta
authors.forename: Carmen D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Eilertson
authors.forename: Constantinos G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Hadjipanayis
authors.forename: Steven L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Stice
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Brat
authors.forename: Rodney J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Nash
mesh_terms: D000071916:AC133 Antigen; D000116:Acetylgalactosamine / Q000378:metabolism; D000117:Acetylglucosamine / Q000378:metabolism; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000378:metabolism; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D019276:Glycocalyx / Q000378:metabolism; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D037102:Lectins / Q000378:metabolism*; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D010455:Peptides / Q000378:metabolism; D037121:Plant Lectins / Q000378:metabolism; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000071916:AC133 Antigen; D015703:Antigens, CD; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D006023:Glycoproteins; D037102:Lectins; C000606023:PROM1 protein, human; D010455:Peptides; D037121:Plant Lectins; D011134:Polysaccharides; C036554:dolichos biflorus agglutinin; D000116:Acetylgalactosamine; D000117:Acetylglucosamine