YKL-40, a secreted glycoprotein, promotes tumor angiogenesis.

ABSTRACT: Tumor angiogenesis is of paramount importance in solid tumor development. Elevated serum levels of YKL-40, which is a secreted heparin-binding glycoprotein, have been associated with a worse prognosis from various advanced human cancers. Yet the role of YKL-40 activity in these cancers is still missing. In this study, we showed that ectopic expression of YKL-40 in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and in HCT-116 colon cancer cells led to larger tumor formation with an extensive angiogenic phenotype than did control cancer cells in mice. Affinity-purified recombinant YKL-40 protein promoted vascular endothelial cell angiogenesis in vitro, the effects of which are similar to the activities observed using MDA-MB-231 and HCT-116 cell-conditioned medium after transfection with YKL-40. Furthermore,

SUBMITTER: Shao R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2795793 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature