FUT4 promotes the progression of Cholangiocarcinoma by modulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a common gastrointestinal malignancy characterized by a poor prognosis. Considering its prevalence, exploring its underlying molecular biological mechanisms is of paramount clinical importance. In this study, bioinformatics techniques were utilized to analyze CCA sample data obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. The analysis revealed a notable upregulation in FUT4 expression in CCA samples. To further investigate the functional implications of FUT4, in vivo and in vitro experiments were conducted, which demonstrated that FUT4 overexpression significantly enhances the proliferative and migratory capabilities of tumor cells. Subsequent sequencing analysis unveiled a correlation between FUT4 and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Indeed, the pioneering discovery of elevated FUT4 expression in CCA was highlighted in this study. Further investigations into the function of FUT4 in CCA provided initial insights into its role in driving cancer progression via EMT. These findings present promising avenues for the diagnosis and treatment of CCA.

胆管癌（Cholangiocarcinoma, CCA）是一类常见的胃肠道恶性肿瘤，以预后不良为典型特征。鉴于其较高的患病率，探究其潜在的分子生物学机制具有极高的临床价值。本研究采用生物信息学技术，对从癌症基因组图谱（The Cancer Genome Atlas, TCGA）与基因表达综合数据库（Gene Expression Omnibus, GEO）获取的CCA样本数据进行分析。结果显示，CCA样本中岩藻糖基转移酶4（FUT4）的表达存在显著上调。为进一步探究岩藻糖基转移酶4（FUT4）的功能意义，本研究开展了体内与体外实验，结果证实FUT4过表达可显著增强肿瘤细胞的增殖与迁移能力。后续测序分析揭示了FUT4与上皮间质转化（Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition, EMT）之间的相关性。本研究首次发现CCA中FUT4表达升高这一关键现象，并通过对FUT4在CCA中功能的深入研究，初步阐明了其通过上皮间质转化驱动癌症进展的作用机制。上述研究结果为CCA的诊断与治疗提供了极具潜力的研究方向。