miR-138-5p Inhibits Vascular Mimicry by Targeting the HIF-1α/VEGFA Pathway in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Tumour vascular mimicry (VM) is the process by which new blood vessels are formed by tumour cells rather than endothelial cells. An increasing number of studies have revealed that the VM process is associated with cancer progression and metastasis. MiR-138-5p has been reported to act as a tumour sup...

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Main Authors: Hongwei Liu, Tao Tang, Xiujin Hu, Weihe Tan, Peng Zhou, Huixian Zhang, Yanmei Liu, Chen Chen, Meng Yang, Meifang Zhou, Shuxia Xuan, Bin Cheng, Weiguo Yin, Jinduan Lin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2022-01-01
Series:Journal of Immunology Research
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/7318950
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author Hongwei Liu
Tao Tang
Xiujin Hu
Weihe Tan
Peng Zhou
Huixian Zhang
Yanmei Liu
Chen Chen
Meng Yang
Meifang Zhou
Shuxia Xuan
Bin Cheng
Weiguo Yin
Jinduan Lin
author_facet Hongwei Liu
Tao Tang
Xiujin Hu
Weihe Tan
Peng Zhou
Huixian Zhang
Yanmei Liu
Chen Chen
Meng Yang
Meifang Zhou
Shuxia Xuan
Bin Cheng
Weiguo Yin
Jinduan Lin
author_sort Hongwei Liu
collection DOAJ
description Tumour vascular mimicry (VM) is the process by which new blood vessels are formed by tumour cells rather than endothelial cells. An increasing number of studies have revealed that the VM process is associated with cancer progression and metastasis. MiR-138-5p has been reported to act as a tumour suppressor in many cancers. However, the role and underlying mechanism of miR-138-5p in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) VM remain unclear. In this study, VM density was detected by CD31/periodic acid-Schiff double staining in HCC clinical specimens. We found that miR-138-5p expression correlated strongly and negatively with microvessel density. Additionally, the miR-138-5p mimic or inhibitor decreased or increased, respectively, tube formation capacity in HepG2 and Hep3B cells. Consistent with this finding, miR-138-5p repressed vessel density in vivo. Moreover, miR-138-5p targeted hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) and regulated the expression of HIF-1α and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), which are established classical master regulators for angiogenesis. Consistent with these findings, the HIF-1α inhibitor CAY10585 effectively blocked HCC cell VM and VEGFA expression. In conclusion, miR-138-5p inhibits HepG2 and Hep3B cell VM by blocking the HIF-1α/VEGFA pathway. Therefore, miR-138-5p may serve as a useful therapeutic target for miRNA-based HCC therapy.
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spelling doaj-art-79f3e26a4a5d455c9ff4b2cf6d46f55f2025-08-20T03:35:48ZengWileyJournal of Immunology Research2314-71562022-01-01202210.1155/2022/7318950miR-138-5p Inhibits Vascular Mimicry by Targeting the HIF-1α/VEGFA Pathway in Hepatocellular CarcinomaHongwei Liu0Tao Tang1Xiujin Hu2Weihe Tan3Peng Zhou4Huixian Zhang5Yanmei Liu6Chen Chen7Meng Yang8Meifang Zhou9Shuxia Xuan10Bin Cheng11Weiguo Yin12Jinduan Lin13Department of Laboratory Medicine CenterDepartment of Molecular DiagnosticsDepartment of Hepatobiliary SurgeryDepartment of Obstetrics and GynecologyDepartment of Laboratory Medicine CenterDepartment of Laboratory Medicine CenterDepartment of Laboratory Medicine CenterDepartment of Laboratory Medicine CenterDepartment of Laboratory Medicine CenterDepartment of Laboratory Medicine CenterDepartment of Laboratory Medicine CenterDepartment of Laboratory Medicine CenterDepartment of Laboratory Medicine CenterDepartment of Laboratory Medicine CenterTumour vascular mimicry (VM) is the process by which new blood vessels are formed by tumour cells rather than endothelial cells. An increasing number of studies have revealed that the VM process is associated with cancer progression and metastasis. MiR-138-5p has been reported to act as a tumour suppressor in many cancers. However, the role and underlying mechanism of miR-138-5p in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) VM remain unclear. In this study, VM density was detected by CD31/periodic acid-Schiff double staining in HCC clinical specimens. We found that miR-138-5p expression correlated strongly and negatively with microvessel density. Additionally, the miR-138-5p mimic or inhibitor decreased or increased, respectively, tube formation capacity in HepG2 and Hep3B cells. Consistent with this finding, miR-138-5p repressed vessel density in vivo. Moreover, miR-138-5p targeted hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) and regulated the expression of HIF-1α and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), which are established classical master regulators for angiogenesis. Consistent with these findings, the HIF-1α inhibitor CAY10585 effectively blocked HCC cell VM and VEGFA expression. In conclusion, miR-138-5p inhibits HepG2 and Hep3B cell VM by blocking the HIF-1α/VEGFA pathway. Therefore, miR-138-5p may serve as a useful therapeutic target for miRNA-based HCC therapy.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/7318950
spellingShingle Hongwei Liu
Tao Tang
Xiujin Hu
Weihe Tan
Peng Zhou
Huixian Zhang
Yanmei Liu
Chen Chen
Meng Yang
Meifang Zhou
Shuxia Xuan
Bin Cheng
Weiguo Yin
Jinduan Lin
miR-138-5p Inhibits Vascular Mimicry by Targeting the HIF-1α/VEGFA Pathway in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Journal of Immunology Research
title miR-138-5p Inhibits Vascular Mimicry by Targeting the HIF-1α/VEGFA Pathway in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
title_full miR-138-5p Inhibits Vascular Mimicry by Targeting the HIF-1α/VEGFA Pathway in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
title_fullStr miR-138-5p Inhibits Vascular Mimicry by Targeting the HIF-1α/VEGFA Pathway in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
title_full_unstemmed miR-138-5p Inhibits Vascular Mimicry by Targeting the HIF-1α/VEGFA Pathway in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
title_short miR-138-5p Inhibits Vascular Mimicry by Targeting the HIF-1α/VEGFA Pathway in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
title_sort mir 138 5p inhibits vascular mimicry by targeting the hif 1α vegfa pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/7318950
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