Detection of Serum Tumor-Associated Glycobiomarker for Meningioma Using Dolichos biflorus Agglutinin.

Aberrant glycosylation in meningioma (MG) suggests the potential use of glycobiomarkers for diagnosis, monitoring, and prognosis. Using lectin-based glycomics, Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA) is an effective tool for detecting the glyco-biomarker DBA-binding glycan (DBAG) in patient sera. Using an in-house enzyme-linked lectin assay, the level of serum DBAG in MG patients (44.10 AU/mL) was significantly higher than that of healthy controls (10.21 AU/mL), with 86.4% sensitivity and 90.0% specificity. The MG patients with WHO grade II-III (77.35 AU/mL) had higher serum DBAG levels than those with grade I (35.92 AU/mL). Lectin histochemistry staining of MG tissues showed that tumor cells were positive for DBAG in 149 of 150 cases, indicating the tumor origin of serum DBAG. Functional analyses using MG cell lines, IOMM-Lee and HKBMM, suggested the involvement of DBAG in MG progression. The serum DBAG levels in other brain tumors (BT) were also measured. Data showed that serum DBAG levels were higher in malignant BTs (67.44 AU/mL) compared to benign BTs (50.43 AU/mL). In conclusion, DBA can be used to detect a serum glycobiomarker for MG and brain tumors. DBAG was involved in MG cell viability and migration, suggesting its potential as a target for future MG therapy.