Abstract
Fucosylation, which is catalyzed by fucosyltransferases (FUTs), is one of the most important glycosylation events involved in cancer. Studies have shown that fucosyltransferase 8 (FUT8) is overexpressed in NSCLC and promotes lung cancer progression. However, there are no reports about the pathological role of fucosyltransferase 2 (FUT2) in lung cancer. To identify FUT2 associated with lung cancer, the expression and clinical significance of FUT2 in lung cancer was investigated by Real-Time PCR, Immunohistochemistry and Western Blot. In addition, we investigated the effect of knockdown FUT2 in lung adenocarcinoma cells. The results showed that the expression of FUT2 in lung adenocarcinoma is higher than that in adjacent noncancerous tissues. Knocking down FUT2 in A549 and H1299 cells decreased cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and increased cell apoptosis compared to corresponding control cells. Furthermore, Western Blot showed that knockdown FUT2 can impact the expression of migration-associated and apoptosis-associated proteins in A549 cells. Our results suggest that FUT2 may be associated with lung adenocarcinoma development and thus is a potential biomarker or/and therapeutic target in lung adenocarcinoma.
Highlights
Lung cancer, the most frequently occurring type of cancer, is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with an annual mortality rate of 18% worldwide [1]
To identify fucosyltransferases genes associated with lung cancer, the expression of FUTs, including fucosyltransferase 2 (FUT2), FUT4, FUT7, fucosyltransferase 8 (FUT8), were examined in lung cancer tissues and matched tumor-adjacent tissues
Results indicated that there were no significant difference between the mRNA levels of FUT2 in lung cancer tissues and that in matched tumor-adjacent tissues (n=22) (Figure 1A), the mRNA expression levels of FUT2 was markedly increased in lung adenocarcinoma specimens (n=13) (Figure 1B), compared with matched tumor-adjacent tissues
Summary
The most frequently occurring type of cancer, is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with an annual mortality rate of 18% worldwide [1]. Lung adenocarcinoma is currently the predominant histological subtype of NSCLC, and the average 5-year survival rate of NSCLC is still around 15%. The most of NSCLC patients suffer from metastases, relapse or drug resistance, even after a few years of treatment [4,5,6]. There is an urgent to explore new biomarkers to improve molecular diagnostics for predicting the development of NSCLC and aiding targeted therapy [78]. Those biomarkers with reliable diagnostic or treatment value would fill the great clinical need
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