GALNT12 promotes fibrosarcoma growth by accelerating YAP1 nuclear localization

Fibrosarcoma is a highly malignant type of soft tissue sarcoma that currently lacks effective treatment options. Polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase 12 (GALNT12) belongs to the uridine diphosphate N-acetylgalactosamine gene family, which is involved in numerous biological processes of diseases, such as tumor progression. Its upregulated expression is closely associated with the development of colorectal cancer. However, research on the role of GALNT12 in fibrosarcoma is currently limited. The present study aimed to assess the expression and biological function of GALNT12 in fibrosarcoma. Patient data and tissue samples were collected and public datasets were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GSE24369 and GSE21124). Immunofluorescence assays were performed to observe the cellular localization of GALNT12. GALNT12 expression was measured using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR, western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Small interfering RNAs were constructed to knock down GALNT12 expression in HT-1080 cells. Cell Counting Kit-8 and EdU assays were used to assess fibrosarcoma cell proliferation. Wound healing and Transwell assays were used to detect migration. Gene set enrichment analysis was performed to identify key pathways. Paired and unpaired Student's t-test, Fisher's exact test and one-way ANOVA (followed by Tukey's Honest Significant Difference test) were used to analyze the data. It was demonstrated that GALNT12 expression was upregulated in both fibrosarcoma cell lines and tissue samples and predicted poor patient prognosis. In vitro experiments demonstrated that high GALNT12 expression levels significantly increased HT-1080 cell proliferation and migration. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that high GALNT12 expression levels were closely associated with the yes1 associated transcriptional regulator (YAP1) signaling pathway. Knockdown of GALNT12 inhibited YAP1 nuclear translocation, which affected activation of key downstream genes including AMOTL2, BIRC5 and CYR61. Therefore, the present study demonstrated that GALNT12 promoted fibrosarcoma progression. GALNT12 could be a potential biomarker for this disease and may potentially provide new ideas for targeted therapy of fibrosarcoma in the future.