Long non-coding RNA MALAT1 promotes the proliferation and metastasis of lung cancer by regulating FUT4 and α1,3-fucosylated glycans mediated via the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) including metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) are identified as activators in lung cancer with elusive mechanisms. Fucosyltransferase IV (FUT4) is the key enzyme that catalyzes the biosynthesis of α1,3-linkage fucosylated glycans carried by glycoproteins on the cell surface, i.e., tumor-associated sugar antigen Lewis Y (LeY). An abnormal increase in the level of FUT4 and LeY is observed in many cancer types and is correlated with cell proliferation and metastasis. Our study aims to investigate the role of MALAT1 in NSCLC and its potential interactions with FUT4 in promoting the progression, proliferation, and metastasis of NSCLC cell lines.