PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Tijl Vermassen
AU  - Katharina D'Herde
AU  - Dominique Jacobus
AU  - Charles Van Praet
AU  - Filip Poelaert
AU  - Nicolaas Lumen
AU  - Nico Callewaert
AU  - Karel Decaestecker
AU  - Geert Villeirs
AU  - Piet Hoebeke
AU  - Simon Van Belle
AU  - Sylvie Rottey
AU  - Joris Delanghe
TI  - Release of urinary extracellular vesicles in prostate cancer is associated with altered urinary N-glycosylation profile
AID  - 10.1136/jclinpath-2016-204312
DP  - 2017 Oct 01
TA  - Journal of Clinical Pathology
PG  - 838--846
VI  - 70
IP  - 10
4099  - http://jcp.bmj.com/content/70/10/838.short
4100  - http://jcp.bmj.com/content/70/10/838.full
SO  - J Clin Pathol2017 Oct 01; 70
AB  - Aim Nowadays, extracellular vesicles are of great interest in prostate cancer (PCa) research. Asparagine (N)-linked glycosylation could play a significant role in the pathological mechanism of these vesicles. We investigated if prostatic protein N-glycosylation profiles were related to urinary vesicle-associated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) extractability and if this parameter showed diagnostic potential for PCa.Methods Urinary extracellular vesicles were visualised using transmission electron microscopy. Urinary extracellular vesicles extraction by means of n-butanol allowed determination of urinary vesicle-associated PSA extractability. Diagnostic value was assessed between benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH; n=122) and patients with PCa (n=85). Additionally, correlation with urine N-glycosylation was assessed.Results Urinary extracellular vesicles with a diameter of approximately 100 nm were more abundantly present in urine of patients with PCa versus patients with BPH resulting in a higher vesicle-associated PSA extraction ratio (p<0.001). Next, vesicle-associated PSA extraction ratio was correlated to biantennary core-fucosylation (p=0.003). Finally, vesicle-associated PSA extraction ratio proved beneficial in PCa diagnosis, next to serum PSA and the urinary glycosylation marker (p=0.021).Conclusions The urinary vesicle-associated PSA extraction ratio is increased in PCa which is a direct result of the abundant presence of extracellular vesicles in urine of patients with PCa. The urinary vesicle-associated PSA extraction ratio was associated with changes in N-glycoforms and showed diagnostic potential. Further research is warranted to unravel the pathological link between N-glycosylation and extracellular vesicles in cancer, as well as to assess the prognostic value of this biomarker.