B4GALNT1 is upregulated in osteosarcoma tissues and cell lines, and its knockdown suppresses the malignant phenotype of osteosarcoma cells. B4GALNT1 may function as an oncogene in the proliferation and metastasis of osteosarcoma cells.
Here, we reveal that B4GALNT1 has a crucial role in HCC stemness and progression by activating the integrin α2β1/FAK/PI3K/AKT axis, providing a potential target for HCC therapy. In addition, we find Ophiopogonin D as a potential therapeutic drug for patients with HCC.
B4GALNT1 may promote HCC development through regulating the EMT pathway, which suggests that B4GALNT1 may serve as a promising predictive biomarker and a potential therapeutic target for HCC.
Objective: GD2 is a tumor-associated ganglioside that is highly expressed in neuroblastoma and is targeted by two FDA-approved agents, dinutuximab and naxitamab. RNA expression of B4GALNT1 seemed to correlate and cluster better with known levels of GD2 expression than ST8SIA1 in neuroblastoma patients who historically have very high levels of GD2 expression via IHC. In sarcomas, MPNSTs had expression levels higher than that of even osteosarcoma which has been the center of clinical trials in sarcomas for GD2-targeted therapy. Given the response of bone disease with dinutuximab and naxitinib in pediatric patients with neuroblastoma, it suggests potential utility of treatment in sarcomas outside of neuroblastoma.