N-Glycomic Profiling of Microsatellite Unstable Colorectal Cancer

Aberrant glycosylation affects cancer progression and immune evasion. Approximately 15% of colorectal cancers (CRCs) demonstrate microsatellite instability (MSI) and display major differences in outcomes and therapeutic responses, as compared to corresponding microsatellite stable (MSS) tumors. We compared the N-glycan profiles of stage II and IV MSI CRC tumors, further subdivided into BRAF^V600E wild-type and mutated subgroups (n = 10 in each subgroup), with each other and with those of paired non-neoplastic mucosal samples using mass spectrometry. Further, the N-glycans of BRAF^V600E wild-type stage II MSI tumors were compared to corresponding MSS tumors (n = 9). Multiple differences in N-glycan profiles were identified between the MSI CRCs and control tissues, as well as between the stage II MSI and MSS samples. The MSI CRC tumors showed a lower relative abundance of high-mannose N-glycans than did the control tissues or the MSS CRCs. Among MSI CRC subgroups, acidic N-glycans showed tumor stage and BRAF mutation status-dependent variation. Specifically, the large, sulfated/phosphorylated, and putative terminal N-acetylhexosamine-containing acidic N-glycans differed between the MSI CRC subgroups, showing opposite changes in stages II and IV, when comparing BRAF mutated and wild-type tumors. Our results show that molecular subgroups of CRC exhibit characteristic glycan profiles that may explain certain carcinogenic properties of MSI tumors.