Differential fucosyltransferase IV expression in squamous carcinoma cells is regulated by promoter methylation

Enhanced fucosyltransferase IV (FUT4) expression correlates with increased tumor malignancy in many carcinomas. However, little is known about the regulation of FUT4 expression, and whether FUT4 expression is influenced by the methylation status of the FUT4 promoter is unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that FUT4 expression is negatively correlated with the methylation degree of a CpG island in the FUT4 promoter, suggesting that the methylation status of FUT4 promoter regulates the expression of FUT4. The results indicate that manipulating the methylation status of the FUT4 promoter to regulate FUT4 expression may be a novel approach in the treatment of malignant tumors. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: Supplementary material is available for this article at 10.2478/s11658-012-0003-x and is accessible for authorized users.