Silencing of hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha by RNA interference attenuates human glioma cell growth in vivo.
OBJECTIVE
Higher-grade gliomas are distinguished by increased vascular endothelial cell proliferation and peritumoral edema. These are thought to be instigated by vascular endothelial growth factor, which, in turn, is regulated by cellular oxygen tension. Hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) is a main responder to intracellular hypoxia and is overexpressed in many human cancers, including gliomas.


METHODS
We investigated the role of HIF-1alpha in glioma growth in vivo using RNA interference (RNAi) in U251, U87, and U373 glioma cells.


RESULTS
We found that RNAi can be used to significantly attenuate glioma growth by reducing HIF-1alpha levels constitutively using short hairpin RNAs and transiently using small interfering RNAs (siRNA). HIF-1alpha levels on average were reduced 55% in normoxia and 71% in hypoxia. Vascular endothelial growth factor and GLUT-1 levels were reduced 81% and 71%, respectively, in the stable HIF-1alpha-reduced clones. These clones showed significant growth attenuation (up to 73%) compared with negative controls when grown in vivo in mouse flanks. Cellular proliferation was also reduced significantly, as determined by MIB-1 staining. Treating gliomas grown in mouse flank transiently with siRNA against HIF-1alpha by intratumoral injection resulted in a significant reduction of HIF-1alpha activity. This activity was followed using a hypoxia-responsive luciferase construct that enabled hypoxia imaging in vivo. Tumor volume in these siRNA injection experiments was reduced by 50% over the negative controls.


CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that transient RNAi directed against HIF-1alpha can effectively curb glioma growth in vivo.
Gillespie
David L
DL
Department of Neurosurgery, Huntsman Cancer Institute in the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah 84132, USA.
Whang
Kum
K
Ragel
Brian T
BT
Flynn
Jeannette R
JR
Kelly
David A
DA
Jensen
Randy L
RL
D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division / Q000235:genetics; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D020868:Gene Silencing; D005910:Glioma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D034622:RNA Interference; D014162:Transfection; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000032:analysis
C497442:HIF1A protein, human; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A