Abstract 1750: Removal of mucin glycans by Bifidobacterium bifidum enhances chemotherapy-mediated cell death in mucinous adenocarcinomas

Abstract

Abstract Background: Mucinous colorectal adenocarcinoma, a subtype of colorectal cancer, is characterized by mucin production and increased resistance to several chemotherapeutic interventions; resulting in a poorer prognosis compared to non-mucus secreting cancers. Advances in treatment are stymied by the limited number of efficacious chemotherapeutic agents. The most common drug used to treat colorectal cancer is 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), but less than 10% of mucinous tumors respond to this drug. The production of mucus has been theorized to limit the uptake of chemotherapeutic agents via charge repulsion and size exclusion, thereby promoting chemo-resistance and driving poor outcomes. Hypothesis: We predict that mucin-degrading microbes secrete glycosyl hydrolase enzymes which cleave mucin glycans and promote the uptake of chemotherapeutic agents and enhance cell death. Methods & Results: We queried the human gut microbiota and identified multiple diverse microbes which encode enzymes to degrade mucin glycans. Among the mucin-degrading bacteria, we found that Bifidobacterium bifidum harbored one of the most extensive repertoires of mucin-degrading enzymes. B. bifidum was grown in a chemically defined medium with or without porcine intestinal mucus and the secreted products were then added to mucus-producing adenocarcinoma cell lines: HT29-MTX and T84 cells. Supernatant from cultures with mucus removed sialic acid residues and enhanced 5-FU uptake after 48 hrs in both cell lines. Supernatant without mucus also promoted 5-FU mediated cell death; although to a lesser degree than supernatant from cultures incubated with mucus. Gene expression analysis and immunostaining revealed decreased MUC13 gene expression and protein in B. bifidum metabolite treated cell lines compared to media controls. In contrast, we found that secreted products from B. dentium, which is unable to degrade mucus, had no effect on 5-FU induced cell death. Conclusions: Our data suggests that B. bifidum elicits chemo-sensitivity via the production of mucin-degrading enzymes, which cleave negatively charged sialic acid, increasing the activity of 5-FU in these cancers as well as by lowering the expression of adherent mucins. This work points to a novel role of mucin-degrading microbes to promote 5-FU penetration of mucinous colorectal adenocarcinoma. This strategy has the potential to provide unique treatment strategies for patients with mucinous colorectal cancer. Citation Format: Leah K. Stripe, Amy C. Engevik, Mindy A. Engevik. Removal of mucin glycans by Bifidobacterium bifidum enhances chemotherapy-mediated cell death in mucinous adenocarcinomas [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 1750.