Palmitic acid-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress links metabolic stress to senescence and regulates cell fate via PERK signalling in colon cancer cells
Published 2025-04-05
Keywords
- Palmitic acid,
- ER stress,
- UPR,
- PERK pathway,
- Senescence
- Colon cancer ...More
Copyright (c) 2025

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Abstract
Palmitic acid promotes cancer progression and induces endoplasmic reticulum stress, which is associated with a misfolded/unfolded protein response. The study aims to explore the impact of metabolic-stress induced by palmitic acid on cell fate decisions in colon cancer cell HCT15, with a specific focus on PERK signalling that connects metabolic-stress to senescence. Palmitic acid-induced oxidative stress is evidenced by increased ROS production, elevated MDA levels, and alterations in antioxidant activities. Bioinformatics analysis of GEO datasets on senescence in HCT15 cells revealed a PERK-mediated pathway, supporting a link between palmitic acid-induced metabolic stress and senescence. This study emphasises the critical role of palmitic acid-induced ER stress in connecting metabolic stress to senescence in colon cancer cells and the involvement of PERK signalling as a key mediator in this process. These insights provide a deeper understanding of how metabolic stress contributes to senescence, potentially revealing new therapeutic targets for managing colon cancer progression.
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