Identification of α1,2-fucosylated signaling and adhesion molecules in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Head and neck cancer is the seventh most common cancer in the world, and most cases manifest as head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Despite the prominent role of fucosylated carbohydrate antigens in tumor cell adhesion and metastasis, little is known about the functional role of fucose-modified glycoproteins in head and neck cancer pathobiology. Inactivating polymorphisms of the fut2 gene, encoding for the α1,2-fucosyltransferase FUT2, are associated with an increased incidence of head and neck cancer among tobacco users. Moreover, the presence of the α1,2-fucosylated Lewis Y epitope, with both α1,2- and α1,3-linked fucose, has been observed in head and neck cancer tumors while invasive regions lose expression, suggesting a potential role for α1,2-fucosylation in the regulation of aggressive tumor cell characteristics. Here, we report an association between fut2 expression and head and neck cancer survival, document differential surface expression of α1,2-fucosylated epitopes in a panel of normal, dysplastic, and head and neck cancer cell lines, identify a set of potentially α1,2-fucosylated signaling and adhesion molecules including the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), CD44 and integrins via tandem mass spectrometry, and finally, present evidence that EGFR is among the α1,2-fucosylated and LeY-displaying proteins in head and neck cancer. This knowledge will serve as the foundation for future studies to interrogate the role of LeY-modified and α1,2-fucosylated glycoproteins in head and neck cancer pathogenesis. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD029420.