Chronic hypoxia-induced slug promotes invasive behavior of prostate cancer cells by activating expression of ephrin-B1.

ABSTRACT: Advanced solid tumors are exposed to hypoxic conditions over longer periods of time as they grow. Tumor hypoxia is a major factor that induces malignant progression, but most previous studies on tumor hypoxia were performed under short-term hypoxia for up to 72 hours and few studies have focused on tumor response to chronic hypoxic conditions. Here we show a molecular mechanism by which chronic hypoxia promotes invasive behavior in prostate cancer cells. We found that an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-driving transcription factor, slug, is specifically upregulated under chronic hypoxia and promotes tumor cell migration and invasion. Unexpectedly, processes associated with EMT, such as loss of E-cadherin, are not observed under chronic hypoxia. Instead, expression of ephrin-B1, a l

SUBMITTER: Iwasaki K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6172048 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature