Glycosylated Cathepsin V Serves as a Prognostic Marker in Lung Cancer.

Dysregulation of cysteine cathepsin protease activity is pivotal in tumorigenic transformation. However, the role of cathepsin protease in lung cancer remains unknown. Here, we analyzed GEO database and found that lung cancer presented high expression of cathepsin V (). We then performed immunohistochemistry assay in 73 paired lung cancer tissues and normal lung tissues and confirmed that is overexpressed in lung cancer and correlates with poor prognosis. The mass spectrometry experiment showed that the N-glycosylation locus of are N221 and N292, glycosylated (band 43 kDa) was particularly expressed in lung cancer samples and correlated with lymph node metastasis. Mechanistic studies showed that only glycosylated (43-kDa band) are secreted to extracellular matrix (ECM) and promoted the metastasis of lung cancer. Importantly, the Elisa detection in serum of 12 lung cancer patients and 12 healthy donors showed that the level of in serum distinguished lung cancer patients from healthy donors. Together, our findings reveal the clinical relevance of glycosylation and drives the metastasis of lung cancer, suggesting that the glycosylated in serum is a promising biomarker for lung cancer.