Prognostic value of the FUT family in acute myeloid leukemia

LncRNA PART1 promotes malignant biological behaviours associated with head and neck cancer cells via synergistic action with FUT6

The aim of this study was to determine the role of lncRNA PART1 and downstream FUT6 in tumorigenesis and progression of head and neck cancer (HNC). Bioinformatics analysis and qRT-PCR revealed that lncRNA PART1 was expressed at low levels in HNC patients. The proliferation, apoptosis, migration and flow cytometry results showed that low expression of lncRNA PART1 inhibited apoptosis and promoted HNC cell migration and proliferation. In addition, animal experiments have also shown that low expression of lncRNA PART1 can promote tumor growth. LncRNA PART1 overexpression promoted apoptosis and inhibited HNC cell migration and proliferation. Through bioinformatics analysis, FUT6 was found to be expressed at low levels in HNC and to be correlated with patient survival. Immunohistochemical and qRT-PCR results revealed that FUT6 was underexpressed in tumour tissues and HNC cells. Cell and animal experiments showed that overexpression of FUT6 could inhibit tumour proliferation and migration. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that lncRNA PART1 was positively correlated with FUT6. By qRT-PCR and western blot, we observed that after knockdown of lncRNA PART1, both the mRNA and protein expression levels of FUT6 were reduced. The above results indicated that lncRNA PART1 and FUT6 play an important role in HNC, and that lncRNA PART1 affected the development of tumor by downstream FUT6.

Combined analysis of secreted proteins and glycosylation identifies prognostic features in cholangiocarcinoma

Secreted proteins are overexpressed in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) and actively involved in promoting metastatic spread. Many of these proteins possess one or more sites of glycosylation and their various glycoforms have potential utility as prognostic or diagnostic biomarkers. To evaluate the effects of secretome glycosylation on patient outcome, we elucidated the glycosylation patterns of proteins secreted by parental and metastatic CCA cells using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Our analysis showed that the secretome of CCA cells was dominated by fucosylated and fucosialylated glycoforms. Based on the glycan and protein profiles, we evaluated the combined prognostic significance of glycosyltransferases and secretory proteins. Significantly, genes encoding fucosyltransferases and sialyltransferases showed favorable prognostic effects when combined with secretory protein-coding gene expression, particularly thrombospondin-1. Combining these measures may provide improved risk assessment for CCA and be used to indicate stages of disease progression.

Integrated analysis of high‑throughput sequencing reveals the regulatory potential of hsa_circ_0035431 in HNSCC

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are molecular sponges that are involved in regulation of multiple types of cancer. The present study aimed to screen and explore the key circRNA/microRNA (miRNA or miR)/mRNA interactions in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) using bioinformatics. A total of six pairs of cancerous and adjacent healthy tissue were obtained from patients with HNSCC and genome-wide transcriptional sequencing was performed. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses were performed on differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Moreover, expression levels of DEGs were verified in HNSCC cells and tissues using reverse transcription-quantitative (RT-q)PCR. A molecular regulatory network consisting of three circRNAs, seven miRNAs and seven mRNAs was constructed, resulting in identification of two signaling axes, hsa_circ_0035431/hsa-miR-940/fucosyltransferase 6 (FUT6) and hsa_circ_0035431/hsa-miR-940/cingulin-like 1 (CGNL1). FUT6 and CGNL1 were downregulated in HNSCC compared with adjacent healthy tissue and the expression levels of these genes were associated with tumor stage. Low FUT6 and CGNL1 expression levels were associated with lower overall survival rate and progression-free intervals in HNSCC. RT-qPCR demonstrated that hsa_circ_0035431, FUT6 and CGNL1 were downregulated in HNSCC cells and tissue and hsa-miR-940 was upregulated. Notably, these results were consistent with those obtained using high-throughput sequencing. In conclusion, hsa_circ_0035431 may participate in regulation of FUT6 and CGNL1 expression by sponging hsa-miR-940, thus, impacting the occurrence, development and prognosis of HNSCC.

Fucosyltransferases Regulated by Fusobacterium Nucleatum and Act as Novel Biomarkers in Colon Adenocarcinoma

Purpose

Colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) is one of the leading causes of cancer-associated mortality worldwide. Fucosyltransferases (FUTs) are associated with numerous cancers. We aimed to investigate the functions of FUTs in COAD.

Patients and Methods

Transcriptomic and clinical data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases were used to analyze the expression and clinical relevance of FUTs in COAD. Real Time Quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), Western blot, immunohistochemistry and ELISA were used to detect the relative RNA and protein expression levels. Colitis-associated cancer mice treated with Fusobacterium nucleatum were used to illustrate the effects of Fusobacterium nucleatum on FUTs and COAD. Luciferase reporting assay was used to investigate the binding of miRNA to mRNA.

Results

TCGA and GEO datasets showed abnormal expression of FUTs in COAD at transcript level. RT-qPCR, Western blot and immunohistochemistry showed increased expression of FUT1, POFUT1 and POFUT2 in COAD. COAD patients with a high expression of FUT1, FUT11, FUT13 (POFUT2) had a worse prognosis, while patients with a high expression of FUT2, FUT3, FUT6 had a better prognosis. FUT1 and POFUT2 could independently predict the prognosis of COAD patients. Functional analysis by CancerSEA database showed that FUT3, FUT6, FUT8, FUT12 (POFUT1) and FUT13 are associated with differentiation, apoptosis, invasion, quiescence, and hypoxia. FUTs are associated with the tumor microenvironment of COAD. FUT1 regulated by miR-939-3p inhibit the expression of MUC2. Fusobacterium nucleatum may affect the expression of FUTs by affecting their transcription factors and miRNA levels. Moreover, Fusobacterium nucleatum promotes COAD progression through the miR-939-3p/FUT1/MUC2 axis.

Conclusion

Fucosyltransferases play an important role and may be the mediator of Fusobacterium nucleatum promoting COAD progression.

The biology of E-selectin ligands in leukemogenesis

Both the cascade whereby a blood-borne cell enters a tissue and the anchoring of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) within bone marrow critically pivots on cell-cell interactions mediated by E-selectin binding to its canonical carbohydrate ligand, the tetrasaccharide termed "sialylated Lewis X" (sLeX). E-selectin, a member of the selectin class of adhesion molecules that is exclusively expressed by vascular endothelium, engages sLeX-bearing glycoconjugates that adorn mature leukocytes and HSPCs, as well as malignant cells, thereby permitting these cells to extravasate into various tissues. E-selectin expression is induced on microvascular endothelial cells within inflammatory loci at all tissues. However, conspicuously, E-selectin is constitutively expressed within microvessels in skin and marrow and, additionally, is inducibly expressed at these sites. Within the marrow, E-selectin receptor/ligand interactions promote lodgment of HSPCs and their malignant counterparts within hematopoietic growth-promoting microenvironments, collectively known as "vascular niches". Indeed, E-selectin receptor/ligand interactions have been reported to regulate both hematopoietic stem, and leukemic, cell proliferative dynamics. As such, signaling induced via engagement of E-selectin ligands is gaining interest as a critical mediator of homeostatic and malignant hematopoiesis, and this review will present current perspectives on the glycoconjugates mediating E-selectin receptor/ligand interactions and their currently defined role(s) in leukemogenesis.

A Comprehensive Prognostic Analysis of Tumor-Related Blood Group Antigens in Pan-Cancers Suggests That SEMA7A as a Novel Biomarker in Kidney Renal Clear Cell Carcinoma

Blood group antigen is a class of heritable antigenic substances present on the erythrocyte membrane. However, the role of blood group antigens in cancer prognosis is still largely unclear. In this study, we investigated the expression of 33 blood group antigen genes and their association with the prognosis of 30 types of cancers in 31,870 tumor tissue samples. Our results revealed that blood group antigens are abnormally expressed in a variety of cancers. The high expression of these antigen genes was mainly related to the activation of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) pathway. High expression of seven antigen genes, i.e., FUT7, AQP1, P1, C4A, AQP3, KEL and DARC, were significantly associated with good OS (Overall Survival) in six types of cancers, while ten genes, i.e., AQP1, P1, C4A, AQP3, BSG, CD44, CD151, LU, FUT2, and SEMA7A, were associated with poor OS in three types of cancers. Kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) is associated with the largest number (14 genes) of prognostic antigen genes, i.e., CD44, CD151, SEMA7A, FUT7, CR1, AQP1, GYPA, FUT3, FUT6, FUT1, SLC14A1, ERMAP, C4A, and B3GALT3. High expression of SEMA7A gene was significantly correlated with a poor prognosis of KIRC in this analysis but has not been reported previously. SEMA7A might be a putative biomarker for poor prognosis in KIRC. In conclusion, our analysis indicates that blood group antigens may play functional important roles in tumorigenesis, progression, and especially prognosis. These results provide data to support prognostic marker development and future clinical management.

Fut7 Promotes Adhesion and Invasion of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Cells through the Integrin/Fak/Akt Pathway

Purpose

To investigate the role and mechanism of N-fucosyltransferase VII (FUT7) in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Methods

Bone marrow tissues were collected from patients with ALL and children with immune thrombocytopenic purpura (control) hospitalized in our hospital during the same period. Then, the FUT7 expression in bone marrow tissues was detected by qRT-PCR and western blotting. Human ALL cell strain Jurkat was cultured, and after knockdown or overexpression of FUT7, cell proliferation, apoptosis, adhesion and invasion were examined by MTT assay, flow cytometry, fibronectin adhesion assay and transwell, respectively; the protein expression level of integrin α5, integrin β1, p-FAK, and p-AKT was tested by western blotting.

Results

The FUT7 expression was up-regulated in bone marrow cells of ALL patients. After knockdown of FUT7, the proliferation, adhesion and migration ability of ALL cells were significantly reduced, and apoptosis was increased, while the overexpression of FUT7 obtained the opposite results. Moreover, the overexpression of FUT7 also promoted the protein expression of integrin α5, integrin β1, p-FAK, p-AKT.

Conclusion

FUT7 can promote the adhesion and invasion of ALL cells by activating the integrin/FAK/AKT pathway.

Fucosylation Promotes Cytolytic Function and Accumulation of NK Cells in B Cell Lymphoma

Natural killer (NK) cells have been demonstrated as a promising cellular therapy as they exert potent anti-tumor immune responses. However, applications of NK cells to tumor immunotherapy, especially in the treatment of advanced hematopoietic and solid malignancies, are still limited due to the compromised survival and short persistence of the transferred NK cells in vivo. Here, we observed that fucosyltransferase (FUT) 7 and 8 were highly expressed on NK cells, and the expression of CLA was positively correlated with the accumulation of NK cells in clinical B cell lymphoma development. Via enzyme-mediated ex vivo cell-surface fucosylation, the cytolytic effect of NK cells against B cell lymphoma was significantly augmented. Fucosylation also promoted NK cell accumulation in B cell lymphoma-targeted tissues by enhancing their binding to E-selectin. Moreover, fucosylation of NK cells also facilitated stronger T cell anti-tumor immune responses. These findings suggest that ex vivo fucosylation contributes to enhancing the effector functions of NK cells and may serve as a novel strategy for tumor immunotherapy.

Glycosyltransferases in Cancer: Prognostic Biomarkers of Survival in Patient Cohorts and Impact on Malignancy in Experimental Models

Background: Glycosylation changes are a main feature of cancer. Some carbohydrate epitopes and expression levels of glycosyltransferases have been used or proposed as prognostic markers, while many experimental works have investigated the role of glycosyltransferases in malignancy. Using the transcriptomic data of the 21 TCGA cohorts, we correlated the expression level of 114 glycosyltransferases with the overall survival of patients. Methods: Using the Oncolnc website, we determined the Kaplan−Meier survival curves for the patients falling in the 15% upper or lower percentile of mRNA expression of each glycosyltransferase. Results: Seventeen glycosyltransferases involved in initial steps of N- or O-glycosylation and of glycolipid biosynthesis, in chain extension and sialylation were unequivocally associated with bad prognosis in a majority of cohorts. Four glycosyltransferases were associated with good prognosis. Other glycosyltransferases displayed an extremely high predictive value in only one or a few cohorts. The top were GALNT3, ALG6 and B3GNT7, which displayed a p < 1 × 10−9 in the low-grade glioma (LGG) cohort. Comparison with published experimental data points to ALG3, GALNT2, B4GALNT1, POFUT1, B4GALT5, B3GNT5 and ST3GAL2 as the most consistently malignancy-associated enzymes. Conclusions: We identified several cancer-associated glycosyltransferases as potential prognostic markers and therapeutic targets.

Alpha-(1,6)-fucosyltransferase (FUT8) affects the survival strategy of osteosarcoma by remodeling TNF/NF-κB2 signaling

Glycosylation is an important modification of membrane proteins that results in functional changes in many cellular activities, from cell-cell recognition to regulatory signaling. Fucosyltransferase 8 (FUT8) is the sole enzyme responsible for core fucosylation, and aberrant fucosylation by dysregulated expression of fucosyltransferases is responsible for the growth of various types of carcinomas. However, the function of FUT8 in the progress of osteosarcoma (OS) has not been reported. In this study, we found that FUT8 is expressed at lower levels in patients with OS and in human OS cell lines such as MNNG/HOS, U2OS, and 143B, suggesting that attenuated expression of FUT8 is involved in the growth and progression of OS. Mechanistically, FUT8 affects the survival strategy of OS by modifying core-fucosylation levels of TNF receptors (TNFRs). Lower fucosylation of TNFRs activates the non-canonical NF-κB signaling pathway, and in turn, decreases mitochondria-dependent apoptosis in OS cells. Together, our results point to FUT8 being a negative regulator of OS that enhances OS-cell apoptosis and suggests a novel therapeutic strategy for treating OS.

FUT6 deficiency compromises basophil function by selectively abrogating their sialyl-Lewis x expression

Sialyl-Lewis x (sLe^x, CD15s) is a tetra-saccharide on the surface of leukocytes required for E-selectin-mediated rolling, a prerequisite for leukocytes to migrate out of the blood vessels. Here we show using flow cytometry that sLe^x expression on basophils and mast cell progenitors depends on fucosyltransferase 6 (FUT6). Using genetic association data analysis and qPCR, the cell type-specific defect was associated with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the FUT6 gene region (tagged by rs17855739 and rs778798), affecting coding sequence and/or expression level of the mRNA. Heterozygous individuals with one functional FUT6 gene harbor a mixed population of sLe^x+ and sLe^x- basophils, a phenomenon caused by random monoallelic expression (RME). Microfluidic assay demonstrated FUT6-deficient basophils rolling on E-selectin is severely impaired. FUT6 null alleles carriers exhibit elevated blood basophil counts and a reduced itch sensitivity against insect bites. FUT6-deficiency thus dampens the basophil-mediated allergic response in the periphery, evident also in lower IgE titers and reduced eosinophil counts.

Puan and San Luis et al. find that FUT6, encoding a fucosyltransferase, is required for the “rolling” behavior of certain white blood cells that enables them to move from blood vessels to tissues. They show that FUT6 deficiency leads to a loss of the tetrasaccharide sLex on the surface of basophils, resulting in cells that are less sticky and therefore less able to form the necessary adhesions for exiting the blood vessel to drive the allergic reaction.

FUT7 Promotes the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Immune Infiltration in Bladder Urothelial Carcinoma

Background

Bladder urothelial carcinoma (BLCA) is one of the most frequently appearing, lethal and aggressive malignancies of the genitourinary system with growing morbidity and mortality, which affects human health seriously. Protein glycosylation, catalyzed by specific glycosyltransferase, has been found to be abnormal in several diseases, especially cancer. Fucosyltransferase VII (FUT7), one of the fucosyltransferases, was observed abnormally expressed in various cancers, however, the role of FUT7 in BLCA, and the association between its expression and clinical outcomes or immune infiltration remains unclear.

Methodology

FUT7 expression in BLCA was analyzed in Oncomine database, which was further confirmed with immunohistochemistry and ELISA. The prognostic value of FUT7 for BLCA was evaluated with PrognoScan database, and its genetic alteration was examined in cBioPortal database. The proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) changes of bladder cancer cells after FUT7 siRNA or cDNA transfection were determined by CCK8, colony formation, transwell and Western blot, respectively. The correlation between FUT7 expression and immune infiltration levels was analyzed in TIMER and TISIDB databases, and the methylation level of FUT7 was detected in UALCAN database.

Results

The results showed that the expression of FUT7 was increased in BLCA, and patients with high FUT7 level were predicted to have lower overall survival and disease-specific survival rates, which were not influenced by FUT7 genetic alterations. Downregulation FUT7 inhibited the proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT of bladder cancer cells, whereas upregulation of FUT7 showed the opposite effects. We found that FUT7 was positively correlated with immune cell infiltration levels (CD8+ T cells, CD4+T cells, macrophage, neutrophil and dendritic cells), and also the expression of gene markers of immune cells. The negative correlation between FUT7 expression and FUT7 methylation level was observed, among which FUT7 expression was positively correlated with the abundance of 28 kinds of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), while FUT7 methylation level was negatively correlated with TILs.

Conclusion

Altogether, these findings suggested that FUT7 possessed the potential to serve as a detection biomarker or immunotherapeutic target for BLCA.

Prognostic role of Wnt and Fzd gene families in acute myeloid leukaemia

Wnt-Fzd signalling pathway plays a critical role in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) progression and oncogenicity. There is no study to investigate the prognostic value of Wnt and Fzd gene families in AML. Our study screened 84 AML patients receiving chemotherapy only and 71 also undergoing allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. We found that some Wnt and Fzd genes had significant positive correlations. The expression levels of Fzd gene family were independent of survival in AML patients. In the chemotherapy group, AML patients with high Wnt2B or Wnt11 expression had significantly shorter event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS); high Wnt10A expressers had significantly longer OS than the low expressers (all P < .05), whereas, in the allo-HSCT group, the expression levels of Wnt gene family were independent of survival. We further found that high expression of Wnt10A and Wnt11 had independent prognostic value, and the patients with high Wnt10A and low Wnt11 expression had the longest EFS and OS in the chemotherapy group. Pathway enrichment analysis showed that genes related to Wnt10A, Wnt11 and Wnt 2B were mainly enriched in 'cell morphogenesis involved in differentiation', 'haematopoietic cell lineage', 'platelet activation, signalling and aggregation' and 'mitochondrial RNA metabolic process' signalling pathways. Our results indicate that high Wnt2B and Wnt11 expression predict poor prognosis, and high Wnt10A expression predicts favourable prognosis in AML, but their prognostic effects could be neutralized by allo-HSCT. Combined Wnt10A and Wnt11 may be a novel prognostic marker in AML.

Prognostic significance of Spinster homolog gene family in acute myeloid leukemia

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a clonal and heterogeneous disease characterized by proliferation of immature myeloid cells, with impaired differentiation and maturation. Spinster homolog (SPNS) is a widely distributed transmembrane transporter, which assists sphingolipids in playing their roles through the cell membrane. However, the expression and clinical implication of the SPNS family has not been investigated in AML. From the Cancer Genome Atlas database, a total of 155 AML patients with complete clinical characteristics and SPNS1-3 expression data were contained in our study. In patients who received chemotherapy only, high expressions of SPNS2 and SPNS3 had adverse effects on event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) (all P<0.05). However, in the allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) group, we only found a significant difference in OS between the high and low SPNS3 expression groups (P=0.001), while other SPNS members showed no effect on survival. Multivariate analysis indicated that high SPNS2 expression was an independent risk factor for both EFS and OS in chemotherapy patients. The results confirmed that high expression of SPNS2 and SPNS3 were poor prognostic factors, and the effect of SPNS2 can be neutralized by allo-HSCT.