Resveratrol inhibits the tumorigenesis of follicular thyroid cancer via ST6GAL2-regulated activation of the Hippo signaling pathway

Abstract Follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) is a common endocrine malignancy with highly aggressive features. In this study, next-generation sequencing technology was used to identify aberrant expression of sialyltransferase (ST) family members in FTC. Aberrant high expression of alpha-2, 6-sialyltransferase 2 (ST6GAL2) was demonstrated to promote the tumorigenesis of FTC in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, ST6GAL2 promoted tumorigenesis by inactivating the Hippo signaling pathway. Resveratrol is a native compound extracted from Vitis species, and many studies have confirmed its protective cardiovascular and antineoplastic effects. Here, we found that resveratrol can inhibit the tumorigenesis of FTC by suppressing the expression of ST6GAL2, thus further activating the Hippo pathway. In summary, this study further revealed the role of the ST6GAL2-Hippo signaling pathway in FTC tumorigenesis and indicated that resveratrol, a commonly found antineoplastic compound, could inhibit the tumorigenesis of FTC by regulating the abovementioned pathways.