Surface proteomics reveals arginine metabolism as a vulnerability in high grade serous ovarian cancer

Abstract

The significant lethality of high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC) is driven by the lack of long-term efficacy of current treatments, underscoring the need for developing additional therapeutics. Cell surface proteins represent attractive therapeutic targets yet remain underexplored in high-grade serous ovarian cancer. Here, we employed cell surface N-glycoproteomics to elucidate the cell surface proteomes of HGSC cells alongside normal epithelial and cancer-associated stromal cells, uncovering new opportunities for therapeutic intervention. Integration of cell surface N-glycoproteomics and functional screening revealed multiple minimally characterized, HGSC-enriched surface proteins that are critical for HGSC proliferation, most notably, SLC7A1. Multi-omic and functional characterization indicated that SLC7A1 is necessary for HGSC migration, protein synthesis and mitochondrial functions likely linked to its role as an arginine transporter. Finally, we demonstrate that elevated surface expression of SLC7A1 in HGSC reflects dysregulated arginine metabolism, pointing to a putative therapeutic vulnerability. Our work identifies SLC7A1 and arginine metabolism as a previously unrecognized molecular vulnerability in HGSC and provides a framework to guide future therapeutic development.