Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41800253›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of biological sciences2026

GFPT2 drives sunitinib resistance of renal cell carcinoma via enzyme-dependent and -independent manners.

Songbo Wang, Jiajun Xing, Xiaoyi Wang, Zengjun Wang, Pengfei Shao, Chenkui Miao

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of biological sciences, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Songbo WangDepartment of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, No. 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, China.
Jiajun XingDepartment of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, No. 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, China.
Xiaoyi WangCore Facility Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, No. 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, China.
Zengjun WangDepartment of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, No. 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, China.
Pengfei ShaoDepartment of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, No. 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, China.
Chenkui MiaoDepartment of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, No. 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Intrinsic resistance to sunitinib in advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remains a major barrier to improving patient survival outcomes. However, the molecular mechanisms driving this resistance remain incompletely elucidated. In this study, we first observed elevated glutamine levels in sunitinib-resistant RCC models; notably, glutamine deprivation substantially impaired the growth and proliferation of RCC cells. We further demonstrated that abnormal upregulation of GFPT2-a key enzyme in glutamine metabolism-was associated with reduced sunitinib sensitivity and enhanced drug resistance in RCC. Mechanistically, we uncovered that GFPT2 modulates cellular O-GlcNAcylation levels, which in turn enhances the stability and nuclear translocation of YAP1-ultimately contributing to reduced sunitinib sensitivity. In addition, we also identified an additional non-metabolic role of GFPT2: it directly interacts with the Kelch domain of KEAP1, thereby reducing NRF2 binding to this domain and suppressing NRF2 ubiquitination-dependent degradation. Consequently, this regulatory cascade dysregulates the transcription of downstream antioxidant genes (e.g., HMOX1 and NQO1), ultimately driving NRF2-dependent sunitinib resistance in RCC. Critically, this KEAP1-NRF2 axis-mediated mechanism operates independently of GFPT2's metabolic role in regulating O-GlcNAcylation. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that GFPT2 modulates sunitinib sensitivity and drives drug resistance in RCC via dual mechanisms: a metabolic pathway (O-GlcNAcylation-YAP1) and a non-metabolic pathway (KEAP1-NRF2). Targeting the non-metabolic functions of GFPT2 thus holds promise for enhancing sunitinib sensitivity in RCC while potentially mitigating treatment-related side effects.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, Renal CellDrug Resistance, NeoplasmKidney NeoplasmsSunitinibAnimalsAntineoplastic AgentsCell Line, TumorCell ProliferationHumansKelch-Like ECH-Associated Protein 1NF-E2-Related Factor 2PyrrolesTranscription FactorsAntineoplastic AgentsKelch-Like ECH-Associated Protein 1NF-E2-Related Factor 2PyrrolesSunitinibTranscription FactorsGFPT2non-metabolic functionO-GlcNAcylationRenal cell carcinomaTKI resistance

Identifiers

PMID41800253
PMCPMC12965143

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.