The pleiotropic role of proteoglycans in extracellular vesicle mediated communication in the tumor microenvironment.

Compartmental exchange between cells through extracellular vesicles (EVs), including exosomes and microvesicles, has emerged as a central mechanism that coordinates the complex communication between malignant and stromal cells during tumor initiation and evolution. Some of the most critical processes of EV-mediated communication, including EV biogenesis and EV uptake, can be mediated by heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) that reside on the surface of producer and recipient cells as well as on EVs. With interestingly similar, HSPG-dependent, pathways as the ones exploited by some viruses, EVs may, in an evolutionary perspective, be viewed as endogenous counterparts of viral particles. Cancer cell-derived EVs exert their protumorigenic effects by direct interactions of biologically active surface molecules, by transfer of proteins and nucleic acids into recipient cells or by transfer of metabolites that can be utilized as an energy source by the recipient cell. Here, we discuss the pleiotropic role of the HSPG family in these different contexts of EV communication with a specific focus on tumor development. We propose EV-associated PGs as dynamic reservoirs and chaperones of signaling molecules with potential implications in ligand exchange between EVs and tumor target cells. The protumorigenic consequences of EV mediated communication through HSPG should motivate the development of therapeutic approaches targeting EV-HSPG interactions as a novel strategy in cancer treatment.

Hypoxia regulates global membrane protein endocytosis through caveolin-1 in cancer cells.

Hypoxia promotes tumour aggressiveness and resistance of cancers to oncological treatment. The identification of cancer cell internalizing antigens for drug targeting to the hypoxic tumour niche remains a challenge of high clinical relevance. Here we show that hypoxia down-regulates the surface proteome at the global level and, more specifically, membrane proteome internalization. We find that hypoxic down-regulation of constitutive endocytosis is HIF-independent, and involves caveolin-1-mediated inhibition of dynamin-dependent, membrane raft endocytosis. Caveolin-1 overexpression inhibits protein internalization, suggesting a general negative regulatory role of caveolin-1 in endocytosis. In contrast to this global inhibitory effect, we identify several proteins that can override caveolin-1 negative regulation, exhibiting increased internalization at hypoxia. We demonstrate antibody-mediated cytotoxin delivery and killing specifically of hypoxic cells through one of these proteins, carbonic anhydrase IX. Our data reveal that caveolin-1 modulates cell-surface proteome turnover at hypoxia with potential implications for specific targeting of the hypoxic tumour microenvironment.