GFPT1 silencing curbs aggressive esophageal cancer cell behavior through ER stress

Reducing GFPT1 weakened proliferation, migration and invasion in esophageal cancer cells while increasing apoptosis, according to a preclinical study published in Medical Oncology. The researchers combined analysis of public datasets, tissue-based expression measurements and cell experiments, finding that GFPT1 depletion also increased markers associated with endoplasmic reticulum stress and autophagy. A rescue experiment indicated that ER stress contributed at least partly to the changes in cell behavior.

The study focused on GFPT1, identified in the paper as the rate-limiting enzyme of the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway. Investigators assessed GFPT1 expression in esophageal cancer tissues using public datasets, western blotting and immunohistochemistry, and found that it was highly expressed. They then established GFPT1-silenced cells with small interfering RNA and compared their behavior with controls in laboratory assays designed to measure proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis.

CCK-8 and colony-formation assays indicated reduced proliferation in GFPT1-silenced cells. Wound-healing and Transwell assays showed reduced migration and invasion, while flow cytometry indicated increased apoptosis. These observations came from manipulated cultured cells rather than patients, and the study does not establish that GFPT1 silencing would prevent tumor progression or improve survival in people with esophageal cancer.

Mechanistic testing produced changes in several ER-stress markers after GFPT1 depletion: GRP78, GRP94, phosphorylated PERK and phosphorylated eIF2α levels increased. Autophagy-related marker changes also occurred, including a higher LC3-II/LC3-I ratio, increased ATG5 and ATG7, and reduced p62. LC3 immunofluorescence and western blotting were used to examine these markers, while overall O-GlcNAcylation was also measured by western blot and found to be reduced after GFPT1 depletion.

The researchers then treated GFPT1-knockdown cells with 4-PBA, an ER-stress inhibitor, in a rescue experiment. The treatment significantly reversed the knockdown-associated suppression of proliferation, migration and invasion and restored changes in ER-stress markers. This supports a causal contribution from the ER-stress pathway to the observed cellular phenotypes. The autophagy-marker results accompanied these effects, but the supplied findings do not show whether the changes represent increased autophagic flux or altered marker abundance alone, nor do they establish that excessive autophagy was the mechanism. Overall, the study provides mechanistic evidence from cells and tissue-expression data, with no reported clinical testing of GFPT1 inhibition or evidence of safety, efficacy or achievable dosing in patients.

Subject of Research: Preclinical analysis of GFPT1, ER stress and autophagy-related changes in esophageal cancer cells.

Article Title: GFPT1 drives esophageal cancer progression by inhibiting ER stress-mediated excessive autophagy

Article References: Zhu, J., Niu, S., Li, X., & Tian, L. (2026). GFPT1 drives esophageal cancer progression by inhibiting ER stress-mediated excessive autophagy. Medical Oncology, 43(11), Article 351. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-026-03476-3

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s12032-026-03476-3

Keywords: GFPT1, esophageal cancer, endoplasmic reticulum stress, autophagy markers, O-GlcNAcylation, cell proliferation, cell migration, cell invasion, apoptosis, cancer cell models, drives, esophageal