Regulation of self-renewal in colorectal cancer cell models

The study investigated the role of the transcription factor SOX2 in colorectal cancer cell lines SW620 and SW480, finding that high SOX2 levels were associated with increased DNA damage, reactive oxygen species, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis. Repressing SOX2 in SW620 cells led to G1 arrest, reduced spheroid formation, and decreased tumorigenicity, partially mediated by cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors p21 and p27. SOX2 repression also lowered LGR5 expression, a stem cell marker, affecting spheroid formation and tumor growth despite increased β-catenin transcriptional activity. The findings suggested that LGR5 negatively regulated Wnt signaling in the absence of R-spondins, and high β-catenin activity did not necessarily enhance self-renewal potential in these cancer models.