Genetic variants in glycosylation pathways are associated with colorectal cancer risk

Abstract The glycosylation pathway serves as a vital regulatory mechanism in colorectal cancer. However, how genetic variants in these pathways may affect the risk of colorectal cancer is still unknown. To examine the relationships between the risk of colorectal cancer and the presence of selected single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), 1,150 patients and 1,342 controls were included in this case‒control study. We found that GALNT2 rs76000797 and rs11576324, GALNT6 rs67726586, FUT8 rs117497405, FUT2 rs111311275 and B4GALT5 rs6125695 were strongly correlated with the risk of colorectal cancer. Moreover, rs111311275 exhibited an expression quantitative trait locus effect on FUT2 in colorectal cancer tissues, which could increase the risk of colorectal cancer by influencing FUT2 expression. GEPIA research and microarray data revealed that FUT2 expression was higher in colorectal cancer tissues than in normal tissues and that individuals with colon cancer with high expression of FUT2 had longer overall survival times. Our study highlights the significant impact of genetic variants on glycosylation pathways and offers novel insights into potential biomarkers for colorectal cancer risk.