O-GlcNAcylation of Blimp-1 in Lymphocytes Inhibits Its Transcriptional Function and Is Associated with Migration and Invasion of Breast Cancer Cells.

Lymphocyte infiltration is an important feature of cancer. There is a complex network of chemokines that influence the degree and phenotype of lymphocyte infiltration, as well as the growth, survival, migration, and angiogenesis of tumor cells. High heterogeneity metastasis is a major obstacle to the treatment of breast cancer. Herein, we showed that O-GlcNAcylation of B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein-1 (Blimp-1) in lymphocytes inhibited the migration and invasion of breast cancer cells. It was found that Blimp-1 O-GlcNAcylation at Ser448 and Ser472 in lymphocytes promoted its nuclear localization, and blocked the bindings to three regions upstream of the ccl3l1 promoter to inhibit its expression. Decreased expression of CCL3L1 in lymphocytes not only decreased CCR5 expression in breast cancer cells, but also inhibited the membrane localization and activation of CCR5, thus blocking the migration and invasion of breast cancer cells in vitro. Therefore, O-GlcNAcylation of Blimp-1 in lymphocytes may serve as a new target for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. IMPLICATIONS: This study reveals a new mechanism by which the lymphatic system promotes breast cancer cell metastasis. ©2021 American Association for Cancer Research.