FUT2 promotes the tumorigenicity and metastasis of colorectal cancer cells via the Wnt/β‑catenin pathway

Liu,Peng; Liu,Jingyu; Ding,Mengyang; Liu,Yijing; Zhang,Yue; Chen,Xiaoming; Zhou,Zhenxu

doi:10.3892/ijo.2023.5483

FUT2 promotes the tumorigenicity and metastasis of colorectal cancer cells via the Wnt/β‑catenin pathway

Authors:
- Peng Liu
- Jingyu Liu
- Mengyang Ding
- Yijing Liu
- Yue Zhang
- Xiaoming Chen
- Zhenxu Zhou
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Affiliations: Institute of Glycobiological Engineering, Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325035, P.R. China, Department of Hernia and Abdominal Wall Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325000, P.R. China
Published online on: January 31, 2023 https://doi.org/10.3892/ijo.2023.5483
Article Number: 35
Copyright: © Liu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

The incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC), a leading cause of cancer‑related mortality, has increased globally. Fucosyltransferase 2 (FUT2), catalyzing the α1, 2‑linked fucose in mammals, has been reported to be overexpressed in several malignant cancers, including CRC. However, the effects of FUT2 on CRC remain largely unknown. Herein, it was determined that the FUT2 expression levels in CRC tissues were higher than those in adjacent non‑tumor tissues, whereas no association with tumor stage was revealed. The results of biological functional analysis revealed that FUT2 knockdown inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of human CRC cells. Moreover, the knockdown of FUT2 arrested the CRC cells at the G0/G1 phase and promoted the apoptosis of human CRC cells. Western blot analysis demonstrated that the expression levels of β‑catenin, C‑myc and cyclin D1 were decreased by FUT2 knockdown in CRC cells, whereas the expression of glycogen synthase kinase‑3β and the phosphorylation levels of β‑catenin were increased. Additionally, Wnt2 was fucosylated by FUT2 in CRC cells. Furthermore, the knockdown of FUT2 inhibited the growth of human CRC in vivo. Overall, the findings of the present study suggest that FUT2 may be used as a potential diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for CRC treatment.

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