GCNT2 induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition and promotes migration and invasion in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most common cancers in the world. The prognosis of patients with ESCC is dismal with a 5-year survival of about 15%. Thus, identification of novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for ESCC patients is urgently needed. Here, we found that manipulation of I-branching N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (GCNT2) expression had no effect on cell proliferation. Notably, overexpression of GCNT2 promoted the migration and invasion, and this effect was associated with increased expression of N-cadherin and vimentin and decreased expression of E-cadherin in KYSE30 and EC9706 cells. Knockdown of GCNT2 decreased the expression of N-cadherin and vimentin, increased the expression of E-cadherin, and inhibited the migration and invasion in KYSE150 and EC109 cells. The expression of GCNT2 was significantly higher in tumour tissues than in paratumour tissues through tissue microarray analysis. More importantly, overall survival was significantly lower in patients with high GCNT2 expression than those with low GCNT2 expression. Collectively, our findings establish GCNT2 as a novel regulator of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and a candidate prognostic indicator of outcome in ESCC patients. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY: Our study suggested that GCNT2 was highly expressed in patients with ESCC and predicted adverse outcome. Overexpression of GCNT2 induces EMT and promotes migration and invasion in ESCC cells. Therefore, GCNT2 may act as a candidate prognostic indicator of outcome and a novel target in ESCC patients.