Increased secretion of hyaluronic acid (HA), a glycosaminoglycan abundant in the brain extracellular matrix (ECM), correlates with worse clinical outcomes for glioblastoma (GBM) patients. GBM cells aggressively invade the brain parenchyma while encountering spatiotemporal changes in their local ECM, including HA concentration. To investigate how varying HA concentrations affect GBM invasion, patient‐derived GBM cells are cultured within a soft, 3D matrix in which HA concentration is precisely varied and cell migration observed. Data demonstrate that HA concentration can determine the invasive activity of patient‐derived GBM cells in a biphasic and highly sensitive manner, where the absolute concentration of HA at which cell migration peaked is specific to each patient‐derived line. Furthermore, evidence that this response relies on phosphorylated ezrin, which interacts with the intracellular domain of HA‐engaged CD44 to effectively link the actin cytoskeleton to the local ECM is provided. Overall, this study highlights CD44–HA binding as a major mediator of GBM cell migration that acts independently of integrins and focal adhesion complexes and suggests that targeting HA–CD44–ezrin interactions represents a promising therapeutic strategy to prevent tumor cell invasion in the brain.
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a highly abundant glycosaminoglycan within the central nervous system. In glioblastoma (GBM), interactions with HA mediate tumor cell invasion. An improved knowledge of the biological underpinnings of HA-dependent GBM cell migration can facilitate the development of efficacious therapeutics. To better study how HA in the tumor matrix affects invasion, we have developed a tunable, 3D culture system in which to study gliomaspheres (GSs) of patient-derived tumor cells. Photopolymerization (365 nm for 15 seconds) of GSs suspended in a solution 0.025 w/v% lithium phenyl-2,4,6-trimethylbenzoylphosphinate (LAP), thiolated 4-arm poly-ethylene glycol (20 kDa, Laysan Bio), 8-arm poly-ethylene glycol-norbornene (20 kDa, Laysan Bio), thiolated peptides containing an ‘RGD’ amino acid motif, and either 0.10, 0.25, 0.50, or 0.75 w/v% of thiolated HA (700 kDa average molecular weight, Lifecore Biomedical) yielded 3D hydrogels of varying HA concentrations and similar mechanical properties. Relative invasive capacity, quantified by shape factor (deviation from circularity) and migration length (maximum extension length of processes from the GS periphery), differed across patient lines and was independent of their Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) classification as either mesenchymal or proneural. Hydrogels with higher amounts of HA (>0.25% w/v) generally enhanced invasion as compared to low HA (0.10 w/v%) hydrogels. In certain cell lines, a biphasic relationship between HA concentration and migration was observed, in line with previous reports of CD44 expression and migration. Moreover, inhibition of the CD44-Ezrin-Actin axis, using NSC668394, reduced migratory activity in hydrogels with higher HA (>0.25% w/v), while slightly increasing invasion in hydrogels with low HA (0.10 w/v%). In sum, results demonstrate the use of a matrix-mimetic, 3D hydrogel system in which to study GBM invasion through the local extracellular matrix. Citation Format: Gevick Safarians, Itay Solomon, Alireza Sohrabi, Stephanie Seidlits. Patient derived gliomaspheres exhibit HA concentration dependent invasiveness in 3D hydrogels [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 3459.
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