title: Polygonatum cyrtonema lectin, a potential antineoplastic drug targeting programmed cell death pathways.
abstract: Polygonatum cyrtonema lectin (PCL), a mannose/sialic acid-binding plant lectin, has recently drawn a rising attention for cancer biologists because PCL bears remarkable anti-tumor activities and thus inducing programmed cell death (PCD) including apoptosis and autophagy in cancer cells. In this review, we focus on exploring the precise molecular mechanisms by which PCL induces cancer cell apoptotic death such as the caspase-dependent pathway, mitochondria-mediated ROS-p38-p53 pathway, Ras-Raf and PI3K-Akt pathways. In addition, we further elucidate that PCL induces cancer cell autophagic death via activating mitochondrial ROS-p38-p53 pathway, as well as via blocking Ras-Raf and PI3K-Akt pathways, suggesting an intricate relationship between autophagic and apoptotic death in PCL-induced cancer cells. In conclusion, these findings may provide a new perspective of Polygonatum cyrtonema lectin (PCL) as a potential anti-tumor drug targeting PCD pathways for future cancer therapeutics.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
authors.forename: Shu-ya
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Qi-jia
authors.initials: QJ
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Jin-ku
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001343:Autophagy / Q000187:drug effects*; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D037121:Plant Lectins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D031384:Polygonatum / Q000737:chemistry*; D011487:Protein Conformation; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000378:metabolism; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D048490:raf Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D037121:Plant Lectins; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D048490:raf Kinases; D020169:Caspases; D018631:ras Proteins