Fig. 1

Identification and validation of thioridazine as an autophagy inducer in human CRC cells. A The gene signatures in HT29 human CRC cells following treatment with four autophagy inducers-TST (thiostrepton), torin-1, sirolimus (rapamycin), and simvastatin in HT29 were analyzed (left) to find 27 compounds with similar activities (a score higher than 85) (right). B HT29 cells were treated with 15 µM THD for varying lengths of time (3, 6, 12, 24, and 48 h) and expression of two autophagy markers, LC3B-II and p62, were analyzed by western blotting. C Protein levels of LC3B-II and p62 in HT29 cells following 15 µM THD treatment in the absence or presence of 3-MA (5 mM) and BafA1 (25 nM) for 6 h were analyzed by western blotting. GAPDH was used as the internal control in (B) and (C). Data are mean ± SD (N = 3). *: p < 0.05; **: p < 0.01; ***: p < 0.001