FUT4 Gene (Fucosyltransferase 4)
FUT4: A key enzyme in Lewis antigen synthesis and cancer-associated glycosylation
Gene Information Card
| Symbol | FUT4 |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Fucosyltransferase 4 (alpha (1,3) fucosyltransferase, myeloid-specific) |
| Gene Type | protein-coding |
| Chromosomal Location | 11q21 |
| NCBI Gene ID | 2526 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/2526 |
| Ensembl ID | ENSG00000173511 |
| UniProt ID | P22083 |
| OMIM ID | 104230 |
| HGNC ID | 4015 |
| Aliases | CD15, ELFT, FCT3A, FUC-TIV, FUTIV, LeX, SSEA-1 |
Description
FUT4 encodes a Golgi membrane-bound fucosyltransferase that catalyzes the transfer of fucose from GDP-fucose to N-acetyllactosamine to form alpha-1,3-linked fucose, generating Lewis X (CD15) and sialyl Lewis X antigens. This enzyme is critical for selectin-mediated cell adhesion, leukocyte trafficking, and is aberrantly expressed in various cancers, contributing to tumor progression and metastasis.
Disease Associations
| Disease category | Pathophysiological mechanism | Genomic evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) | FUT4 overexpression increases sialyl Lewis X, promoting leukocyte adhesion and extramedullary infiltration. | PMID: 12406866 |
| Colorectal Cancer | Upregulation of FUT4 enhances Lewis X synthesis, facilitating tumor cell adhesion to endothelial cells via E-selectin. | PMID: 19177216 |
| Breast Cancer | FUT4-mediated fucosylation of CD44 promotes cancer stem cell properties and metastasis. | PMID: 23563181 |
| Lung Cancer | FUT4 expression correlates with poor prognosis and increased metastatic potential through altered glycosylation. | PMID: 21912587 |
Expression Profile
Tissue Expression
| Tissue | nTPM | level |
|---|---|---|
| Bone Marrow | 12.5 | Medium |
| Spleen | 8.3 | Low |
| Lung | 6.1 | Low |
| Colon | 4.7 | Low |
| Breast | 3.2 | Low |
Cell Line Expression
| Cell Line | nTPM | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| HL-60 (promyelocytic leukemia) | 15.2 | High expression; model for myeloid differentiation |
| K-562 (chronic myeloid leukemia) | 9.8 | Moderate expression |
| MCF-7 (breast cancer) | 7.5 | Moderate expression |
| A549 (lung cancer) | 5.1 | Low expression |
Data source：Human Protein Atlas（proteinatlas.org）
Mutations & Variants
Hotspot Mutations
| Variant | Type | Frequency | Functional Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| c.511C>T (p.Arg171Trp) | Missense | <0.01% | Reduced enzyme activity; reported in COSMIC |
| c.776G>A (p.Arg259His) | Missense | <0.01% | Unknown functional effect; rare variant |
Mutation functional classification
Loss of Function (LOF)
R171W variant shows reduced fucosyltransferase activity in vitro.
Gain of Function (GOF)
No confirmed gain-of-function mutations reported.
Dominant Negative (DN)
Not described.
View complete mutation data：
Gene Ontology (GO)
| • Golgi apparatus (GO:0005794) | • integral component of membrane (GO:0016021) |
| • fucosyltransferase activity (GO:0008417) | • protein glycosylation (GO:0006486) |
| • cell adhesion (GO:0007155) | • fucosylation (GO:0036065) |
Pathways
• Lewis antigen synthesis (Reactome: R-HSA-9033807)
• Selectin-mediated adhesion (Reactome: R-HSA-202733)
• Glycosphingolipid biosynthesis (KEGG: hsa00601)
Protein Summary
FUT4 is a type II transmembrane protein localized to the Golgi apparatus. It catalyzes the addition of fucose in alpha-1,3 linkage to type 2 oligosaccharide chains, producing Lewis X (CD15) and sialyl Lewis X epitopes. These structures are ligands for E-, P-, and L-selectins, mediating leukocyte-endothelial adhesion. FUT4 is highly expressed in myeloid cells and is upregulated in several cancers, where it promotes metastasis and stemness. The protein has a short N-terminal cytoplasmic tail, a transmembrane domain, and a large C-terminal catalytic domain facing the Golgi lumen.
Related Services
Related Products
| Product name | Cat.No. | Species | Gene ID | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FUT4 Knockout HEK293 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ4644 | Human | 2526 | Details Get a Quote |
| FUT4 Knockout A-549 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ27330 | Human | 2526 | Details Get a Quote |
| FUT4 Knockout HCT 116 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ27331 | Human | 2526 | Details Get a Quote |
| FUT4 Knockout HeLa Cell Line | EDJ-KQ27332 | Human | 2526 | Details Get a Quote |
