TY - JOUR
T1 - Molecular hierarchy of heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor-regulated angiogenesis in triple-negative breast cancer
AU - Yotsumoto, Fusanori
AU - Tokunaga, Eriko
AU - Oki, Eiji
AU - Maehara, Yoshihiko
AU - Yamada, Hiromi
AU - Nakajima, Kyoko
AU - Nam, Sung Ouk
AU - Miyata, Kohei
AU - Koyanagi, Midori
AU - Doi, Keiko
AU - Shirasawa, Senji
AU - Kuroki, Masahide
AU - Miyamoto, Shingo
PY - 2013/5
Y1 - 2013/5
N2 - Heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF) is one of several proangiogenic factors and represents a possible therapeutic target for patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, the role of HBEGF in promoting tumor aggressiveness in TNBC remains unclear. To investigate specific genes and pathways involved in TNBC tumorigenesis, we profiled gene expression changes in two TNBC cell lines under two-dimensional culture (2DC) and three-dimensional culture (3DC) and in a tumor xenograft model. We identified simultaneous upregulation of HB-EGF, VEGFA, and angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4) in 3DC and tumor xenografts, compared with 2DC. We show that HB-EGF regulates the expression of VEGFA or ANGPTL4 via transcriptional regulation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α and NF-κB. Furthermore, suppression of VEGFA or ANGPTL4 expression enhanced HB-EGF expression, highlighting a unique regulatory loop underlying this angiogenesis network. Targeted knockdown of HB-EGF significantly suppressed tumor formation in a TNBC xenograft model, compared with individual knockdown of either VEGFA or ANGPTL4, by reducing the expression of both VEGFA and ANGPTL4. In patients with TNBC, VEGFA or ANGPTL4 expression was also significantly correlated with HB-EGF expression. Low concentrations of exogenously added HB-EGF strongly activated the proliferation of endothelial cells, tube formation, and vascular permeability in blood vessels, in a similar fashion to high doses of VEGFA and ANGPTL4. Taken together, these results suggest that HB-EGF plays a pivotal role in the acquisition of tumor aggressiveness in TNBC by orchestrating a molecular hierarchy regulating tumor angiogenesis.
AB - Heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF) is one of several proangiogenic factors and represents a possible therapeutic target for patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, the role of HBEGF in promoting tumor aggressiveness in TNBC remains unclear. To investigate specific genes and pathways involved in TNBC tumorigenesis, we profiled gene expression changes in two TNBC cell lines under two-dimensional culture (2DC) and three-dimensional culture (3DC) and in a tumor xenograft model. We identified simultaneous upregulation of HB-EGF, VEGFA, and angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4) in 3DC and tumor xenografts, compared with 2DC. We show that HB-EGF regulates the expression of VEGFA or ANGPTL4 via transcriptional regulation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α and NF-κB. Furthermore, suppression of VEGFA or ANGPTL4 expression enhanced HB-EGF expression, highlighting a unique regulatory loop underlying this angiogenesis network. Targeted knockdown of HB-EGF significantly suppressed tumor formation in a TNBC xenograft model, compared with individual knockdown of either VEGFA or ANGPTL4, by reducing the expression of both VEGFA and ANGPTL4. In patients with TNBC, VEGFA or ANGPTL4 expression was also significantly correlated with HB-EGF expression. Low concentrations of exogenously added HB-EGF strongly activated the proliferation of endothelial cells, tube formation, and vascular permeability in blood vessels, in a similar fashion to high doses of VEGFA and ANGPTL4. Taken together, these results suggest that HB-EGF plays a pivotal role in the acquisition of tumor aggressiveness in TNBC by orchestrating a molecular hierarchy regulating tumor angiogenesis.
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U2 - 10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-12-0428
DO - 10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-12-0428
M3 - Article
C2 - 23443317
AN - SCOPUS:84877891176
VL - 11
SP - 506
EP - 517
JO - Cell Growth and Differentiation
JF - Cell Growth and Differentiation
SN - 1541-7786
IS - 5
ER -