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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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FUT4
fucosyltransferase 4
Chromosome 11 · 11q21
NCBI Gene: 2526Ensembl: ENSG00000196371.4HGNC: HGNC:4015UniProt: P22083
113PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
regulation of leukocyte cell-cell adhesion4-galactosyl-N-acetylglucosaminide 3-alpha-L-fucosyltransferase activityoligosaccharide metabolic processtrans-Golgi networkmalignant renal pelvis neoplasmthyroid diseaseneoplasmcolorectal carcinoma
✦AI Summary

FUT4 (fucosyltransferase 4) is an alpha-3-fucosyltransferase that catalyzes synthesis of fucosylated oligosaccharides, particularly Lewis Y antigens, on glycoproteins and glycolipids 1. The enzyme is localized to the Golgi apparatus and trans-Golgi network, where it adds fucose residues to carbohydrate moieties during glycoprotein biosynthesis 2. FUT4 is expressed early during human embryogenesis in developing tissues 3 and shows cell-type-specific regulation via distinct promoter elements in different tissues 2. FUT4 expression is transcriptionally regulated by multiple factors: HSF1 and Sp1 promote expression in breast cancer cells through ERK1/2 MAPK and PI3K/Akt signaling 1, while androgen receptor activation upregulates FUT4 in melanoma 4. Conversely, MyoD1 suppresses FUT4 transcription in gastric cancer 5, and miR-493-5p downregulates FUT4 expression in breast cancer 6. Clinically, elevated FUT4 expression correlates with cancer progression and metastasis across multiple malignancies. In breast cancer, FUT4 promotes cell proliferation and invasiveness 1. In melanoma, FUT4 mediates androgen-driven invasiveness by fucosylating L1CAM and disrupting adherens junctions 4. In gastric cancer and osteosarcoma, FUT4 suppression reduces migration, invasion, and promotes apoptosis 5, 7. Additionally, FUT4-mediated fucosylation of haptoglobin amplifies inflammatory responses in sepsis through Mincle-dependent signaling 8, suggesting FUT4 contributes to pathological inflammation.

Sources cited
1
FUT4 (fucosyltransferase 4) is an alpha-3-fucosyltransferase that catalyzes synthesis of fucosylated oligosaccharides, particularly Lewis Y antigens, on glycoproteins and glycolipids .
PMID: 23959823
2
The enzyme is localized to the Golgi apparatus and trans-Golgi network, where it adds fucose residues to carbohydrate moieties during glycoprotein biosynthesis .
PMID: 10873613
3
FUT4 is expressed early during human embryogenesis in developing tissues and shows cell-type-specific regulation via distinct promoter elements in different tissues .
PMID: 10929005
4
FUT4 expression is transcriptionally regulated by multiple factors: HSF1 and Sp1 promote expression in breast cancer cells through ERK1/2 MAPK and PI3K/Akt signaling , while androgen receptor activation upregulates FUT4 in melanoma .
PMID: 38326303
5
Conversely, MyoD1 suppresses FUT4 transcription in gastric cancer , and miR-493-5p downregulates FUT4 expression in breast cancer .
PMID: 31831855
6
Conversely, MyoD1 suppresses FUT4 transcription in gastric cancer , and miR-493-5p downregulates FUT4 expression in breast cancer .
PMID: 27375041
7
In gastric cancer and osteosarcoma, FUT4 suppression reduces migration, invasion, and promotes apoptosis , .
PMID: 38343056
8
Additionally, FUT4-mediated fucosylation of haptoglobin amplifies inflammatory responses in sepsis through Mincle-dependent signaling , suggesting FUT4 contributes to pathological inflammation.
PMID: 39904983
Disease Associationsⓘ20
malignant renal pelvis neoplasmOpen Targets
0.32Weak
thyroid diseaseOpen Targets
0.13Weak
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.12Weak
colorectal carcinomaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
cancerOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
breast cancerOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
endometriosisOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
acute myeloid leukemiaOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
medulloblastomaOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
lung cancerOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
osteosarcomaOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
melanomaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
rheumatoid arthritisOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
papillary thyroid carcinomaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
lung adenocarcinomaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
rectum cancerOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
Townes-Brocks syndromeOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
nonpapillary renal cell carcinomaOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
non-small cell lung carcinomaOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
adenomaOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
POU5F1Protein interaction100%SOX2Protein interaction100%B4GALT1Protein interaction99%PTPRCProtein interaction98%B3GNT3Protein interaction95%ST3GAL6Protein interaction95%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Bone Marrow
100%
Lung
3%
Ovary
2%
Heart
1%
Liver
1%
Brain
1%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
FUT4POU5F1SOX2B4GALT1PTPRCB3GNT3ST3GAL6
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
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AlphaFoldAI-predicted · UniProt P22083
View on AlphaFold ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
1.22LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.07Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.58 [0.30–1.22]
RankingsWhere FUT4 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #4,187of 20,598
    Most Researched113 · top quartile
  • #12,790of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)1.22
Genes detectedFUT4
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
Fucosylated haptoglobin promotes inflammation via Mincle in sepsis: an observational study.
PMID: 39904983
Nat Commun · 2025
1.00
2
HSF1 and Sp1 regulate FUT4 gene expression and cell proliferation in breast cancer cells.
PMID: 23959823
J Cell Biochem · 2014
0.90
3
MyoD1 suppresses cell migration and invasion by inhibiting FUT4 transcription in human gastric cancer cells.
PMID: 31831855
Cancer Gene Ther · 2020
0.80
4
FUT4 and FUT9 genes are expressed early in human embryogenesis.
PMID: 10929005
Glycobiology · 2000
0.70
5
miR-493-5p attenuates the invasiveness and tumorigenicity in human breast cancer by targeting FUT4.
PMID: 27375041
Oncol Rep · 2016
0.60