[Vascular endothelial growth factor gene expression in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line induced by hypoxia in vitro].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Hypoxia is a common phenomenon in the tumor microenvironment of most solid tumors including human nasopharyngeal neoplasms. Hypoxia can induces vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene expression in some tumor cells like glioma cell line C6. The present investigations were conducted to study the effect of hypoxia on the VEGF gene expression in cultured nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cell line CNE-2Z in vitro and to discuss its impact on tumor metastasis.

METHODS

Hypoxic culture model in vitro was established to test the VEGF gene expression in CNE-2Z cell line. After cultured in the hypoxia circumstance for 24 hours, VEGF expression were tested in mRNA level and protein level by RT-PCR and Western-blot analysis, respectively.

RESULTS

VEGF mRNA isoforms VEGF189, VEGF165, VEGF145,and VEGF121 were identified by RT-PCR in cultured CNE-2Z cell line. All of the four VEGF mRNA isoforms expression were increased after treated under hypoxia for 24 hours. The mRNA level of four VEGF isoforms were 2.67+/-0.30, 2.05+/-0.03, 2.73+/-0.15, and 1.65+/-0.01 folds as those in normoxic cells,respectively. Western blot analysis showed that VEGF protein expression in CNE-2Z cells was 2.20+/-0.07 folds as that in normoxic cells.

CONCLUSION

VEGF gene expresses in CNE-2Z cell line and can be induced by hypoxia in vitro, this mechanism may be involve in metastasis process of NPC by inproved neoplasm angiogenesis.