T-Synthase Deficiency Enhances Oncogenic Features in Human Colorectal Cancer Cells via Activation of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL
Authors: Dong, Xichen; Jiang, Yuliang; Liu, Jian; Liu, Zhe; Gao, Tianbo; An, Guangyu; Wen, Tao
Abstract
Background. Immature truncated O-glycans such as Tn antigen are frequently detected in human colorectal cancer (CRC); however, the precise pathological consequences of Tn antigen expression on CRC are unknown. T-synthase is the key enzyme required for biosynthesis of mature O-glycans. Here we investigated the functional roles of Tn antigen expression mediated by T-synthase deficiency in CRC cells. Methods. To knock out T-synthase, we used CRISPR-Cas9 technology to target C1GALT1, the gene encoding T-synthase, in a CRC cell line (HCT116). Deletion of T-synthase was confirmed by western blotting, and expression of Tn antigen was determined by flow cytometry in HCT116 cells. We then assessed the biological effects of T-synthase deficiency on oncogenic behaviors in HCT116 cells. Furthermore, we analyzed the mechanistic role of T-synthase deficiency in cancer cells by determining the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) pathway. Results. We showed that forced knockout of T-synthase in HCT116 cells significantly induced Tn antigen expression, which represented the occurrence of aberrant O-glycosylation. Loss of Tsynthase significantly enhanced cell proliferation and adhesion, as well as migration and invasiveness in culture. More importantly, we demonstrated that T-synthase deficiency directly induced classical EMT characteristics in cancer cells. E-cadherin, a typical epithelial cell marker, was markedly decreased in T-synthase knockout HCT 116 cells, accompanied by an enhanced expression of mesenchymal markers including snail and fibronectin (FN). Conclusions. These findings indicate that T-synthase deficiency in CRC cells not only is responsible for aberrant O-glycosylation, but also triggers themolecular process of EMT pathway, whichmay translate to increased invasiveness and metastasis in cancers.
Relationship between rs1047763 polymorphism of the C1GALT1 gene and susceptibility to immunoglobulin A nephropathy in Xinjiang Uyghur people
GENETICS AND MOLECULAR RESEARCH
Authors: Xue, J. N.; Guo, Y.; Song, X.; Xue, F.; Yang, S. F.; Jiang, H.; Bu-La, R. Z. W. A.; Lu, C.
Abstract
We explored the relationship between rs1047763, a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the C1GALT1 gene, and genetic susceptibility to immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) in Xinjiang Uyghur people. The study comprised 90 patients with IgAN and 90 normal controls recruited from Uyghur people. The distribution of the rs1047763 polymorphism of C1GALT1 in each group was determined by direct sequencing analysis. The gene type, gene frequency, allele type, and allele frequency were calculated by direct counting and the genotype was investigated using the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium test. The SPSS17.0 software was used for data processing, and genotype and allele frequencies were compared using the.2 test. In the IgAN group, the AA, AG, and GG genotype frequencies in the rs1047763 polymorphism of the C1GALT1 gene were 21.10, 47.80, and 31.10%, respectively, while AA, AG, and GG genotype frequencies in the control group were 17.8, 40.0, and 42.2%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). The rs1047763 SNP of the C1GALT1 gene probably has no correlation with genetic susceptibility to IgAN in Xinjiang Uyghur people.