title: Signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 up-regulates vascular endothelial growth factor production and tumor angiogenesis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: Overexpression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is associated with angiogenic phenotypes and poor prognosis of numerous tumors, including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However, the precise mechanism that causes VEGF overexpression in HNSCC remains unknown. Since there is evidence that a transcriptional factor, signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (Stat3), is constitutively activated in HNSCC and this activation is significantly associated with aggressive phenotypes of this disease, we investigated the roles of Stat3 activation on VEGF production and tumor angiogenesis in HNSCC both in vitro and in clinical samples. VEGF promoter assays with YCU-H891 cells demonstrated that dominant negative Stat3 significantly inhibited VEGF promoter activity in the full length (-2279 to +54) and two truncated forms of VEGF promoter luciferase-reporter construct (-1179 to 54) or (-1014 to +54), which retain the putative Stat3 responsive elements (-849 to -842). However, this was not seen in the shorter construct (-794 to +54), which lacks the putative Stat3 responsive elements. In the derivative of YCU-891 cells that stably express dominant negative Stat3 protein, cellular levels of VEGF mRNA and VEGF protein were significantly inhibited. In the 51 clinical samples obtained from the patients with tongue carcinoma, the expression levels of phosphorylated (activated) form of Stat3 protein were significantly correlated with VEGF (P<0.05) production and intratumoral microvessel density IMVD (P<0.01). These results strongly indicate that Stat3 directly up-regulates VEGF transcription and thereby promotes angiogenesis in HNSCC. Inhibition of Stat3 activity may provide a new anti-angiogenic therapy in HNSCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Kyushu Koseinenkin Hospital, 2-1-1, Kishinoura, Nishiku, Kitakyushu 806-8501, Japan. muneyuki.masuda@qkn-hosp.jp
authors.forename: Muneyuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Masuda
authors.forename: Hong-Ying
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Ruan
authors.forename: Aya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Torahiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakashima
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Toh
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wakasaki
authors.forename: Ryuji
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yasumatsu
authors.forename: Yuichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kutratomi
authors.forename: Shizuo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Komune
authors.forename: I Bernard
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Weinstein
mesh_terms: D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000378:metabolism; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D015854:Up-Regulation; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; C494086:STAT3 protein, human; C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A