Abstract

In this study, we have analyzed changes induced by hypoxia at the transcriptional level of genes that could be responsible for a more aggressive phenotype. Using a series of DNA array membranes, we identified a group of hypoxia-induced genes that included plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3), endothelin-2, low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP), BCL2-interacting killer (BIK), migration-inhibitory factor (MIF), matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13), fibroblast growth factor-3 (FGF-3), GADD45, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The induction of each gene was confirmed by Northern blot analysis in two different squamous cell carcinoma-derived cell lines. We also analyzed the kinetics of PAI-1 induction by hypoxia in more detail because it is a secreted protein that may serve as a useful molecular marker of hypoxia. On exposure to hypoxia, there was a gradual increase in PAI-1 mRNA between 2 and 24 h of hypoxia followed by a rapid decay after 2 h of reoxygenation. PAI-1 levels were also measured in the serum of a small group of head and neck cancer patients and were found to correlate with the degree of tumor hypoxia found in these patients.

View details for Web of Science ID 000085503100022

View details for PubMedID 10706099