Cancer Cell Glycocalyx and Its Significance in Cancer Progression

Abstract

Cancer is a malignant tumor that threatens the health of human beings, and has become the leading cause of death in urban and rural residents in China. The glycocalyx is a layer of multifunctional glycans that covers the surfaces of a variety of cells, including vascular endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, stem cells, epithelial, osteocytes, as well as cancer cells. The glycosylation and syndecan of cancer cell glycocalyx are unique. However, heparan sulfate (HS), hyaluronic acid (HA), and syndecan are all closely associated with the processes of cancer progression, including cell migration and metastasis, tumor cell adhesion, tumorigenesis, and tumor growth. The possible underlying mechanisms may be the interruption of its barrier function, its radical role in growth factor storage, signaling, and mechanotransduction. In the later sections, we discuss glycocalyx targeting therapeutic approaches reported in animal and clinical experiments. The study concludes that cancer cells' glycocalyx and its role in cancer progression are beginning to be known by more groups, and future studies should pay more attention to its mechanotransduction of interstitial flow-induced shear stress, seeking promising therapeutic targets with less toxicity but more specificity.

Keywords: cancer; glycocalyx; mechanotransduction.

Figure 1

(a) Cancer cells are exposed to interstitial flow and glycocalyx can sense interstitial flow induced shear stress. (b) Glycocalyx is composed of proteoglycans and glycoproteins, like HS, HA, CS and KS. Syndecans and glypicans are the major core proteins.

Figure 2

The involvement of cancer cell glycocalyx in tumor progression. (a) Glycocalyx enhances growth factor storage and signaling to regulate cancer cell adhesion, angiogenesis, metastasis, growth and survival. (b) Glycocalyx acts as a mechanotransducer of interstitial flow-induced shear stress to regulate cancer cell motility and metastasis.