N-linked glycoproteomic profiling in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND Mass spectrometry-based proteomics and glycomics reveal post-translational modifications providing significant biological insights beyond the scope of genomic sequencing.AIM To characterize the N-linked glycoproteomic profile in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) via two complementary approaches. METHODS Using tandem multilectin affinity chromatography for enrichment of N-linked glycoproteins, we performed N-linked glycoproteomic profiling in ESCC tissues by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE)-based and isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) labeling-based mass spectrometry quantitation in parallel, followed by validation of candidate glycoprotein biomarkers by Western blot. RESULTS 2-DE-based and iTRAQ labeling-based quantitation identified 24 and 402 differentially expressed N-linked glycoproteins, respectively, with 15 in common, demonstrating the outperformance of iTRAQ labeling-based quantitation over 2-DE and complementarity of these two approaches. Proteomaps showed the distinct compositions of functional categories between proteins and glycoproteins with differential expression associated with ESCC. Western blot analysis validated the up-regulation of total procathepsin D and high-mannose procathepsin D, and the down-regulation of total haptoglobin, high-mannose clusterin, and GlcNAc/sialic acid-containing fraction of 14-3-3 zeta in ESCC tissues. The serum levels of glycosylated fractions of clusterin, proline-arginine-rich end leucine-rich repeat protein, and haptoglobin in patients with ESCC were remarkably higher than those in healthy controls. CONCLUSION Our study provides insights into the aberrant N-linked glycoproteome associated with ESCC, which will be a valuable resource for future investigations.

Automated summary

This study characterized the N-linked glycoproteomic profile in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) using two complementary approaches (2-DE and iTRAQ), identifying multiple differentially expressed glycoproteins. Western blot validation confirmed the expression changes in ESCC-associated proteins and showed differences in glycosylated fractions in patient serum. The study provides valuable insights into the aberrant N-linked glycoproteome associated with ESCC.