Lycium barbarum glycopeptide targets PER2 to inhibit lipogenesis in glioblastoma by downregulating SREBP1c.

Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) is a substance with various biological activities extracted from Lycium barbarum. LbGPs are peptidoglycans with a short peptide backbone and a complex, branched glycan moiety, which is further extracted and isolated from LBPs. Previous studies have shown that LbGP can inhibit cancer cell growth, but its specific mechanism is not completely clear. In this study, we found that LbGP could inhibit the proliferation of glioma cells and promote the expression of period 2 (PER2) through the PKA-CREB pathway. In addition, LbGP could inhibit the de novo synthesis of lipids by downregulating SREBP1c and its target genes, which depended on the expression of PER2. Moreover, PER2 negatively regulated the expression of SREBP1c via suppressing PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. In summary, LbGP may upregulate the expression of PER2 to reduce the expression of SREBP1c, inhibit lipid synthesis in glioblastoma, and inhibit glioblastoma cell proliferation. This study provides an alternative drug for the treatment of glioma and elucidates its potential mechanism.

MicroRNA-552 promotes tumor cell proliferation and migration by directly targeting DACH1 via the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway in colorectal cancer.

The purpose of the present study was to analyze the crucial role of microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) involved in the proliferation and migration of colorectal cancer (CRC) and to investigate their underlying mechanisms. The present study discusses the expression and function of miR-552 in CRC. The expression level of miR-552 in CRC cells and tissues was observed, and it was suggested that the high expression of miR-552 accelerated the proliferation and migration of CRC cells in vitro. Notably, a result of the present study was that the cell fate determination factor Dachshund family transcription factor 1 (DACH1) was identified as a direct target of miR-552. Suppressing miR-552 expression in CRC cells increased endogenous DACH1 mRNA and protein levels, which was negatively correlated with miR-552. DACH1 performs an important role in the development of a number of neoplasms, and has the ability to regulate the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway as a novel predictive and diagnostic biomarker. Accordingly, it was concluded that miR-552 exerted a tumor-promoting role in CRC development by targeting DACH1, which may contribute to the increase in the rates of CRC proliferation and migration. miR-552 may serve as a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for CRC.