title: Role of the hypoxia sensing system, acidity and reproductive hormones in the variability of vascular endothelial growth factor induction in human breast carcinoma cell lines.
abstract: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a potent angiogenic factor implicated in many pathological processes. We investigated the regulation of 4 alternatively spliced isoforms (121, 165, 189 and 206 amino acids) by hypoxia, hypoglycemia, acidity, female reproductive hormones and vitamin D in breast carcinoma cell lines representing different tumor phenotypes. There was a 17-fold difference in total VEGF mRNA expression across the cell lines. The isoform expression, 121 > 165 > 189, was unchanged by different culture conditions. Hypoxia was the most potent stimulus, and the cell lines demonstrated a 1.4- to 6.9-fold range of VEGF induction, maintained when other hypoxically regulated genes (phosphoglycerate kinase 1 and glucose transporter 1) and a HIF-1-dependent reporter gene were examined. The relative inducibility of the genes was maintained in each cell line, but basal expression was independent of -fold induction. VEGF expression decreased under acidic conditions in 2 cell lines, but the hypoxia stimulus remained effective under acidic conditions. Hypoglycemia, female reproductive hormones and vitamin D exerted no effect on expression, nor did inhibitors of mutant ras. Our results show that VEGF expression varies widely between cell lines and that capacity to respond to hypoxia is also cell specific, relating mostly to the hypoxic sensing of the cell and the signal transduction mechanism. Such characteristics, if maintained in vivo, have implications for the angiogenic potential of different tumor cells under normal and hypoxic conditions.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Oncology Group, ICRF, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, UK.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gleadle
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bicknell
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Harris
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D002117:Calcitriol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D016228:Endothelial Growth Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000473:pathology*; D004967:Estrogens / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051793:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D011374:Progesterone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000502:physiology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D016228:Endothelial Growth Factors; D004967:Estrogens; C497442:HIF1A protein, human; D051793:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; D008222:Lymphokines; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D014157:Transcription Factors; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors; D011374:Progesterone; D002117:Calcitriol; C078903:seocalcitol