Pathological angiogenesis facilitates tumor cell dissemination and metastasis.
Clinically detectable metastases represent an ultimate consequence of the metastatic cascade that consists of distinct processes including tumor cell invasion, dissemination, metastatic niche formation, and re-growth into a detectable metastatic mass. Although angiogenesis is known to promote tumor growth, its role in facilitating early events of the metastatic cascade remains poorly understood. We have recently developed a zebrafish tumor model that enables us to study involvement of pathological angiogenesis in tumor invasion, dissemination and metastasis. This non-invasive in vivo model allows detection of single malignant cell dissemination under both normoxia and hypoxia. Further, hypoxia-induced VEGF significantly facilitates tumor cell invasion and dissemination. These findings demonstrate that VEGF-induced pathological angiogenesis is essential for tumor dissemination and further corroborates potentially beneficial effects of clinically ongoing anti-VEGF drugs for the treatment of various malignancies.
Rouhi
Pegah
P
Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
Lee
Samantha Lin Chiou
SL
Cao
Ziquan
Z
Hedlund
Eva-Maria
EM
Jensen
Lasse Dahl
LD
Cao
Yihai
Y
D000818:Animals; D000860:Hypoxia; D023421:Models, Animal; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism; D015027:Zebrafish
D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A