The novel prognostic risk factor STC2 can regulate the occurrence and progression of osteosarcoma via the glycolytic pathway.

ABSTRACT

Osteosarcoma, a highly aggressive malignant tumor of the bone, usually occurs in children and young adults. However, although the considerable achievement in the clinical treatment of osteosarcoma recent years, the overall survival of osteosarcoma patients has not been obviously improved. Cancer cells preferentially use glycolysis instead of oxidative phosphorylation to meet their increased energetic and biosynthetic demands, a phenomenon known as the Warburg effect. Glycolysis is a driving factor in multiple cancers and is emerging as a new cancer target treatment. In the present study, we established a model to screen for glycolysis-associated genes in osteosarcoma. This risk score of the model were correlated with clinical characteristics osteosarcoma patients. Besides, a functional assay identified that STC2 enhanced the glycolysis of osteosarcoma cells. Modulation of STC2 changes glucose consumption and lactate production as well as GLUT1 expression in osteosarcoma. Furthermore, we identified that change in the expression levels of STC2 affected the proliferation, invasion, and migration of osteosarcoma cells. Our findings showed STC2 as a new tumor-promoting factor of osteosarcoma cells through enhancing glycolysis.