Hypoxia-inducible factor-1-independent regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor by hypoxia in colon cancer.
The induction of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an essential feature of tumor angiogenesis, and the hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) transcription factor is known to be a key mediator of this process. In colon cancer, the frequently mutated K-ras oncogene also can regulate VEGF expression, but the role that K-ras may play in hypoxia is unknown. Hypoxia induced VEGF promoter activity, mRNA, and protein levels in colon cancer cells. Although HIF-1alpha was induced by hypoxia, VEGF reporter constructs with selectively mutated hypoxia-response elements remained responsive to hypoxia. In addition, "knockdown" of HIF-1alpha by RNA interference only minimally inhibited the hypoxic induction of VEGF. A region of the VEGF promoter between -420 and -90 bp mediated this HIF-independent induction by hypoxia. The introduction of K-ras(Val12) augmented the hypoxic induction of VEGF, and this was observed in wild-type and HIF-1alpha knockdown colon cancer cells. Thus, VEGF may be induced by hypoxia through HIF-dependent and HIF-independent pathways, and K-ras also can induce VEGF in hypoxia independent of HIF-1. These findings suggest the existence of multiple mechanisms regulating the hypoxic induction of VEGF in colon cancer.
Gastrointestinal Unit, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA.
Yusuke
Y
Mizukami
Jingnan
J
Li
Xiaobo
X
Zhang
Michael A
MA
Zimmer
Othon
O
Iliopoulos
Daniel C
DC
Chung
D015687:Cell Hypoxia; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D011905:Genes, ras; D006801:Humans; D051793:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000209:etiology; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D014157:Transcription Factors; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000235:genetics*
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C497442:HIF1A protein, human; D051793:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A