Targeting SOX18 Transcription Factor Activity by Small-Molecule Inhibitor Sm4 in Non-Small Lung Cancer Cell Lines

The transcription factor SOX18 has been shown to play a crucial role in lung cancer progression and metastasis. In this study, we investigated the effect of Sm4, a SOX18 inhibitor, on cell cycle regulation in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines LXF-289 and SK-MES-1, as well as normal human lung fibroblast cell line IMR-90. Our results demonstrated that Sm4 treatment induced cytotoxic effects on all three cell lines, with a greater effect observed in NSCLC adenocarcinoma cells. Sm4 treatment led to S-phase cell accumulation and upregulation of p21, a key regulator of the S-to-G2/M phase transition. While no significant changes in SOX7 or SOX17 protein expression were observed, Sm4 treatment resulted in a significant upregulation of SOX17 gene expression. Furthermore, our findings suggest a complex interplay between SOX18 and p21 in the context of lung cancer, with a positive correlation observed between SOX18 expression and p21 nuclear presence in clinical tissue samples obtained from lung cancer patients. These results suggest that Sm4 has the potential to disrupt the cell cycle and target cancer cell growth by modulating SOX18 activity and p21 expression. Further investigation is necessary to fully understand the relationship between SOX18 and p21 in lung cancer and to explore the therapeutic potential of SOX18 inhibition in lung cancer.