BACKGROUND

Metabolic reprogramming is an emerging cancer feature that has recently drawn special attention since it promotes tumor cell growth and proliferation. However, the mechanism of the Warburg effect is still largely unknown. This research aimed to reveal the effects of BarH-like homeobox 2 () in regulating tumor progression and glucose metabolism in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD).

METHODS

Expression of was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in LUAD cell line and tissues, and the tumor-promoting function of in LUAD cells was detected and xenograft models. The metabolic effects of were examined by detecting glucose uptake, the production levels of lactate and pyruvate, and the extracellular acidification rate (ECAR). Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay and luciferase reporter gene assay were used to identify the underlying molecular mechanism of regulation of . Further studies showed that transcription factor directly interacts with and promotes the transcriptional activity of .

RESULTS

was remarkably up-regulated in LUAD tissues and positively linked to advanced clinical stage and poor prognosis. and data indicated ectopic expression of enhanced cell proliferation and tumorigenesis, whereas knockdown suppressed these effects. Metabolic-related experiments showed promoted the reprogramming of glucose metabolism. Mechanistically, the axis promoted LUAD progression and energy metabolism reprogramming.

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, our research first defined as a tumor-promoting factor in LUAD and that it may act as a novel prognostic biomarker and new therapeutic target for the disease.