Regulatory mechanisms of core fucosylation and its progress in cancer therapy: from inhibitor development to antibody engineering

Abstract Core fucosyltransferase is crucial for core fucosylation modification, and its expression is upregulated in various types of cancers. This upregualtion is involved in tumorigenesis and development as well as closely related to cancer diagnosis and prognosis. In recent years, core fucosylation pathway has been extensively studied, which is imperative for the development of antibodies targeting core fucosylation. This study focuses on the regulatory mechanism of core fucosylation and summarizes the research results of related inhibitors, including methods to inhibit substrate and develop fucosyltransferase 8 inhibitors. This study also comprehensively reviews preparation techniques for deglycosylated antibodies, including gene-editing technology, exogenous addition of soluble RNA, bicistronic gene design, and synthesis of glycosylation inhibitors. Moreover, the current challenges in this field are also investigated in this study, and future research directions are proposed to provide a comprehensive reference for the research on core fucosylation in cancer therapy and related antibody engineering fields.