N-glycosylation of Siglec-15 decreases its lysosome-dependent degradation and promotes its transportation to the cell membrane.

ABSTRACT

Siglec-15 was recently reported to be an immunosuppressive molecule that is expressed by tumor-associated macrophages and upregulated in some solid tumors. Targeting Siglec-15 is a potential strategy for normalization cancer immunotherapy. Here, we identified the important post-translational modification, N-glycosylation of Siglec-15, which is regulated by glucose uptake. Using a series of glycosidase and glycosylation inhibitors, we demonstrated that Siglec-15 was completely N-glycosylated in vitro and in vivo. The precise glycosylation site was determined. N-glycosylation stabilized Siglec-15 by decreasing its lysosome-dependent degradation. Siglec-15 subcellular distribution detected by immunofluorescence indicated that N-glycosylation promoted Siglec-15 transportation to the cell membrane. The collective observations indicate that targeting the N-glycosylation of Siglec-15 may be an effective supplement to immunotherapy.