PUBLICATION

ST3GAL5-catalyzed gangliosides inhibit TGF-β-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition via TβRI degradation

Authors
Zhang, J., van der Zon, G., Ma, J., Mei, H., Cabukusta, B., Agaser, C.C., Madunić, K., Wuhrer, M., Zhang, T., Ten Dijke, P.
ID
ZDB-PUB-221213-8
Date
2022
Source
The EMBO journal   42(2): e110553 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Keywords
ST3GAL5, UDP-glucose ceramide glucosyltransferase, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, glycosphingolipids, transforming growth factor-β
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Catalysis
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Movement
  • Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition/genetics
  • Gangliosides
  • Glycosphingolipids
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms*/metabolism
  • Mice
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta*/metabolism
  • Zebrafish/metabolism
PubMed
36504224 Full text @ EMBO J.
Abstract
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is pivotal in the initiation and development of cancer cell metastasis. We observed that the abundance of glycosphingolipids (GSLs), especially ganglioside subtypes, decreased significantly during TGF-β-induced EMT in NMuMG mouse mammary epithelial cells and A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells. Transcriptional profiling showed that TGF-β/SMAD response genes and EMT signatures were strongly enriched in NMuMG cells, along with depletion of UDP-glucose ceramide glucosyltransferase (UGCG), the enzyme that catalyzes the initial step in GSL biosynthesis. Consistent with this finding, genetic or pharmacological inhibition of UGCG promoted TGF-β signaling and TGF-β-induced EMT. UGCG inhibition promoted A549 cell migration, extravasation in the zebrafish xenograft model, and metastasis in mice. Mechanistically, GSLs inhibited TGF-β signaling by promoting lipid raft localization of the TGF-β type I receptor (TβRI) and by increasing TβRI ubiquitination and degradation. Importantly, we identified ST3GAL5-synthesized a-series gangliosides as the main GSL subtype involved in inhibition of TGF-β signaling and TGF-β-induced EMT in A549 cells. Notably, ST3GAL5 is weakly expressed in lung cancer tissues compared to adjacent nonmalignant tissues, and its expression correlates with good prognosis.
Genes / Markers
Figures
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Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping