SOX7, down-regulated in colorectal cancer, induces apoptosis and inhibits proliferation of colorectal cancer cells.

The sex-determining region Y-box 7 (Sox7) is a member of high mobility group (HMG) transcription factor family, essential for embryonic development and endoderm differentiation. Deregulation of Wnt signaling pathway is a hallmark of colorectal cancer. Our results showed that the expression level of SOX7 was frequently down-regulated in human colorectal cancer cell lines and in primary colorectal tumor tissues, and the SOX7 silencing was partially due to the aberrant DNA methylation of the gene. Restoration of SOX7 induced colorectal cancer cell apoptosis, inhibited cell proliferation and colony formation. In addition, SOX7 efficiently suppressed beta-catenin-mediated transcriptional activity.