Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts: Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound   Target Concepts: Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound

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Query: UMLS:C0017636 (glioblastoma)
18,345 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Nitric oxide (NO) regulates production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) by normal and transformed cells. We demonstrate that NO donors may up-regulate the activity of the human VEGF promoter in normoxic human glioblastoma and hepatoma cells independent of a cyclic guanosine monophosphate-mediated pathway. Deletion and mutation analysis of the VEGF promoter indicates that the NO-responsive cis-elements are the hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) binding site and an adjacent ancillary sequence that is located immediately downstream within the hypoxia-response element (HRE). This work demonstrates that the HRE of this promoter is the primary target of NO. In addition, VEGF gene regulation by NO, as well as by hypoxia, is potentiated by the AP-1 element of the gene. Our study also reveals that NO and hypoxia induce an increase in HIF-1 binding activity and HIF-1alpha protein levels, both in the nucleus and the whole cell. These results suggest that there are common features of the NO and hypoxic pathways of VEGF induction, while in part, NO mediates gene transcription by a mechanism distinct from hypoxia. This is demonstrated by a difference in sensitivity to guanylate cyclase inhibitors and a different pattern of HIF-1 binding. These results show that there is a primary role for NO in the control of VEGF synthesis and in cell adaptations to hypoxia. (Blood. 2000;95:189-197)
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PMID:Hypoxia response element of the human vascular endothelial growth factor gene mediates transcriptional regulation by nitric oxide: control of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 activity by nitric oxide. 1060 2

In glioblastoma-derived cell lines, PTEN does not significantly alter apoptotic sensitivity or cause complete inhibition of DNA synthesis. However, in these cell lines PTEN regulates hypoxia- and IGF-1-induced angiogenic gene expression by regulating Akt activation of HIF-1 activity. Restoration of wild-type PTEN to glioblastoma cell lines lacking functional PTEN ablates hypoxia and IGF-1 induction of HIF-1-regulated genes. In addition, Akt activation leads to HIF-1alpha stabilization, whereas PTEN attenuates hypoxia-mediated HIF-1alpha stabilization. We propose that loss of PTEN during malignant progression contributes to tumor expansion through the deregulation of Akt activity and HIF-1-regulated gene expression.
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PMID:Loss of PTEN facilitates HIF-1-mediated gene expression. 1069 31

We have previously shown that topotecan, a topoisomerase I poison, inhibits hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1alpha protein accumulation by a DNA damage-independent mechanism. Here, we report that daily administration of topotecan inhibits HIF-1alpha protein expression in U251-HRE glioblastoma xenografts. Concomitant with HIF-1alpha inhibition, topotecan caused a significant tumor growth inhibition associated with a marked decrease of angiogenesis and expression of HIF-1 target genes in tumor tissue. These results provide a compelling rationale for testing topotecan in clinical trials to target HIF-1 in cancer patients.
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PMID:Schedule-dependent inhibition of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha protein accumulation, angiogenesis, and tumor growth by topotecan in U251-HRE glioblastoma xenografts. 1546 70

The effectiveness of radiation therapy for human brain tumors is limited by the presence of radiation-resistant hypoxic cells. In order to improve patient outcomes, therapeutic methods that increase hypoxic cell killing must be developed. To investigate the possibility of using the hypoxic tumor microenvironment itself as a target for gene therapy, we stably transfected U-251 MG human glioblastoma cells with constructs containing the suicide gene Bax under the regulation of a nine-copy concatemer of hypoxia responsive elements (HREs). Previously, we demonstrated that the expression of BAX protein under anoxic conditions in transfected U-251 MG clones leads to increased cell killing in vitro. Our recent studies revealed that HIF-1alpha induction under anoxic conditions occurs prior to the increase in BAX expression, thereby implicating HIF-1 induction as the basis of BAX upregulation. To test the effect of BAX-mediated cell killing in vivo, we implanted five stably transfected clones subcutaneously into the flanks of athymic mice. Compared to nontransfected controls, tumor growth in four of five clones was significantly retarded. Histopathological analysis demonstrated decreased hypoxic fractions and increased amounts of apoptosis in clone-derived tumors. These results suggest that the tumor microenvironment is sufficiently hypoxic to trigger HRE-mediated cell killing via the BAX apoptotic pathway.
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PMID:Functionality of hypoxia-induced BAX expression in a human glioblastoma xenograft model. 1570 54

Necrosis in glioblastoma is often associated with high levels of Fas (APO-1), HIF-1alpha and PARP expression. The presence of such molecules suggests a regulative element to cell death within this tissue, which may involve p53. We aimed to establish whether p53 and its downstream targets Bax, MDM2 and p21 play a role in perinecrotic cell death in glioblastoma. Following sequencing of the p53 gene in U87 and U373 glioma cell lines, p53 was found to be reactive in the p53 wild-type line U87 in response to hypoxia but not in the p53 mutant line, U373. Although no increase in perinecrotic p53 expression was detected in spheroid cultures derived from these lines, a 60 kDa MDM2 isoform lacking a C-terminal domain showed perinecrotic localization, irrespective of p53 status. Similar findings were observed surrounding regions of necrosis in 80% of glioblastoma biopsies examined. Increasing levels of wild-type p53 did not affect cell death in U87 spheroid cultures but killed all U373 cells 3 days post transfection. Dominant negative p53 did not affect cell death in U373 and U87 spheroid cultures. Although p53 accumulation appeared not to be important for the onset of cell death both in spheroid and biopsy cases, high levels of perinecrotic 60 kDa MDM2 may have implications for glioma cell death susceptibility in both p53 mutant and wild-type tumour cell populations.
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PMID:Discovery of a perinecrotic 60 kDa MDM2 isoform within glioma spheroids and glioblastoma biopsy material. 1577 12

We examined how the effect of topotecan is modulated by transient hypoxia in three different tumor lines, Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC), U87 human glioblastoma and DMS273 human small cell lung cancer. Four groups of tumor bearing mice were treated with saline or a single dose of topotecan, immediately followed by 6-h or 72-h exposure to a hypoxic environment (10% O(2)) or normal air. Topotecan + hypoxia resulted in significantly greater suppression of tumor growth than normoxic topotecan or hypoxia alone. Correspondingly, the sensitivity of LLC cells to topotecan in a clonogenic survival assay was significantly higher under hypoxia. This effect of hypoxia was not a general phenomenon, since the tumor growth inhibitory effect of the alkylating agent cisplatin was not changed by hypoxic environment. In a parallel series of in vitro experiments, cell cultures were exposed to hypoxia (0.1% or 0.7% O(2)) in a hypoxic chamber or normoxia for 24 h. We found a dose-dependent downregulation of HIF-1alpha by topotecan (30-270 nM). The hypoxic upregulation of Glucose transporter-1 and VEGF secretion to the culture medium was inhibited by the addition of topotecan, while doses up to 270 nM had no effect on VEGF under normoxia. VEGF protein levels in tumors were also reduced by topotecan. These data show that the effect of topotecan is increased by transient hypoxia, and this may be a direct effect on the ability of cells to survive under hypoxia as well as an antiangiogenic effect, mediated through the HIF-1 inhibitory effect of topotecan.
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PMID:Augmenting tumor sensitivity to topotecan by transient hypoxia. 1589 31

The hypoxia-inducible transcription factors HIF-1alpha and HIF-2alpha are activated in hypoxic tumor regions. However, their role in tumorigenesis remains controversial, as tumor growth promoter and suppressor activities have been ascribed to HIF-1alpha, while the role of HIF-2alpha remains largely unknown. Here, we show that overexpression of HIF-2alpha in rat glioma tumors enhances angiogenesis but reduces growth of these tumors, in part by increasing tumor cell apoptosis. Moreover, siRNA knockdown of HIF-2alpha reduced apoptosis in hypoxic human malignant glioblastoma cells. Furthermore, inhibition of HIF by overexpression of a dominant-negative HIF transgene in glioma cells or HIF-2alpha deficiency in teratomas reduced vascularization but accelerated growth of these tumor types. These findings urge careful consideration of using HIF inhibitors as cancer therapeutic strategies.
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PMID:Genetic evidence for a tumor suppressor role of HIF-2alpha. 1609 66

Hypoxia appears to induce a program which shifts the cellular phenotype toward an increase in extracellular adenosine. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) is a key regulator of genes crucial to many aspects of cancer biology. Since in gliomas there is a strong correlation between HIF-1alpha expression, tumor grade and tumor vascularization, the aim of this study was to investigate whether adenosine may regulate HIF-1 in human glioblastoma cell lines. The results indicate that in the human hypoxic A172 and U87MG glioblastoma cell lines adenosine up-regulates HIF-1alpha protein expression via the A(3) receptor subtype. In particular, we investigated the effect of A(3) receptor antagonists on HIF-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression. We found that A(3) antagonists inhibit adenosine-induced HIF-1alpha and VEGF protein accumulation in the hypoxic cells. Investigations in the molecular mechanism showed that A(3) receptor stimulation activates p44/p42 and p38 MAPKs that are required for A(3)-induced increase of HIF-1alpha and VEGF. Further studies are required to demonstrate the in vivo relevance of these observations with regard to the proposed role for adenosine as a key element in hypoxia and in tumors.
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PMID:Adenosine modulates vascular endothelial growth factor expression via hypoxia-inducible factor-1 in human glioblastoma cells. 1668 12

Most solid tumors display extracellular acidosis, which only partially overlaps with hypoxia and induces distinct adaptive changes leading to aggressive phenotype. Although acidosis is mainly attributable to excessive production of lactic acid, it also involves carbonic anhydrase (CA) IX-mediated conversion of CO(2) to an extracellular proton and a bicarbonate ion transported to cytoplasm. CA IX is pre-dominantly expressed in tumors with poor prognosis and its transcription and activity are induced by hypoxia. Here we investigated whether low extracellular pH in absence of hypoxia can influence CA IX expression in cell lines derived from glioblastoma, a tumor type particularly linked with acidosis. Our data show that extracellular acidosis increased the level of CA IX protein, mRNA and the activity of minimal CA9 promoter that contains binding sites for HIF-1 and SP-1 transcription factors. Mutation within each of these two biding sites reduced the promoter activity, but did not eliminate the increase by acidosis. Transfection of HIF-1alpha cDNA produced additive inducing effect with acidosis. Normoxic acidosis was accompanied by HIF-1alpha protein accumulation and transiently increased phosphorylation of ERK1/2. Expression of a dominant-negative mutant of ERK2 reduced the CA9 promoter activity in both standard and acidic conditions. Similar result was obtained by inhibitors of MAPK and PI3K pathways, whose combination completely suppressed CA IX expression and abolished induction by acidosis. Altogether, our results suggest that acidosis increases the CA IX expression via a hypoxia-independent mechanism that operates through modulation of the basic CA9 transcriptional machinery.
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PMID:Extracellular acidosis elevates carbonic anhydrase IX in human glioblastoma cells via transcriptional modulation that does not depend on hypoxia. 1696

Glioblastomas are malignant brain tumors that are rarely curable, even with aggressive therapy (surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation). Glioblastomas frequently display loss of PTEN and/or epidermal growth factor receptor activation, both of which activate the PI3K pathway. This pathway can increase vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1alpha expression. We examined the effects of two human immunodeficiency virus protease inhibitors, nelfinavir and amprenavir, which inhibit Akt signaling, on VEGF and HIF-1alpha expression and on angiogenesis. Nelfinavir decreased VEGF mRNA expression and VEGF secretion under normoxia. Downregulation of P-Akt decreased VEGF secretion in a manner similar to that of nelfinavir, but the combination of the two had no greater effect, consistent with the idea that nelfinavir decreases VEGF through the PI3K/Akt pathway. Nelfinavir also decreased the hypoxic induction of VEGF and the hypoxic induction of HIF-1alpha, which regulates VEGF promoter. The effect of nelfinavir on HIF-1alpha was most likely mediated by decreased protein translation. Nelfinavir's effect on VEGF expression had the functional consequence of decreasing angiogenesis in in vivo Matrigel plug assays. Similar effects on VEGF and HIF-1alpha expression were seen with a different protease inhibitor, amprenavir. Our results support further research into these protease inhibitors for use in future clinical trials for patients with glioblastoma multiformes.
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PMID:HIV protease inhibitors decrease VEGF/HIF-1alpha expression and angiogenesis in glioblastoma cells. 1713 20


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