Identification of 9-O-acetyl-N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5,9Ac₂) as main O-acetylated sialic acid species of GD2 in breast cancer cells

Mainly restricted to the nervous system in healthy adults, complex gangliosides such as GD3 and GD2 have been shown to be involved in aggressiveness and metastasis of neuro-ectoderm derived tumors such as melanoma and neuroblastoma. Interestingly, O-acetylated forms of GD2, not expressed in human peripheral nerve fibers, are highly expressed in GD2+ tumor cells. Very little information is known regarding the expression of O-acetylated disialogangliosides in breast cancer (BC) cell lines. Here, we analyzed the expression of GD2, GD3 and their O-acetylated forms O-acetyl-GD2 (OAcGD2) and O-acetyl-GD3 (OAcGD3) in BC cells. We used Hs 578T and SUM159PT cell lines, as well as cell clones over-expressing GD3 synthase derived from MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7. Using flow cytometry and immunocytochemistry/confocal microscopy, we report that BC cells express b-series gangliosides GD3 and GD2, as well as significant amounts of OAcGD2. However, OAcGD3 expression was not detected in these cells. O-acetylation of gangliosides isolated from BC cells was examined by LC-MS analysis of sialic acid DMB-derivatives. We report that the main acetylated form of sialic acid expressed in BC gangliosides is 9-O-acetyl-N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5,9Ac₂). These results highlight a close interrelationship between Neu5,9Ac₂ and OAcGD2 expression, and suggest that OAcGD2 is synthetized from GD2 and not from OAcGD3 in BC cells.