The regulation of angiogenesis in neuroblastoma.
Chlenski Alexandre,Liu Shuqing,Cohn Susan L
Cancer letters
Angiogenesis is required for the growth and metastasis of malignant tumors, and high vascular density has been correlated with aggressive tumor growth in many types of cancer. This process is regulated by the local balance of stimulatory and inhibitory molecules produced by tumor cells, stromal cells, and the organ-specific environment. In neuroblastoma, a pediatric malignancy that is characterized by a broad spectrum of clinical behavior, angiogenesis also appears to play an important role in determining tumor phenotype. The nature of the angiogenic balance in neuroblastoma is complex, and a spectrum of angiogenesis stimulators and inhibitors has been detected in neuroblastoma tumors. This review summarizes our current understanding of the regulation of angiogenesis in neuroblastoma.
10.1016/s0304-3835(03)00082-x
Angiogenesis in neuroblastoma.
Ribatti Domenico,Marimpietri Danilo,Pastorino Fabio,Brignole Chiara,Nico Beatrice,Vacca Angelo,Ponzoni Mirco
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
Angiogenesis is a biological process by which new capillaries are formed from preexisting vessels. It occurs in physiological and pathological conditions, such as tumors, where a specific turning point is the transition from the avascular to the vascular phase. Tumor angiogenesis depends mainly on the release by neoplastic cells of growth factors specific for endothelial cells able to stimulate the growth of the host's blood vessels. In neuroblastoma, the most common extracranial solid tumor of infancy and childhood, angiogenesis also appears to play an important role in determining tumor phenotype. The nature of the angiogenic balance in neuroblastoma is complex, and a spectrum of angiogenesis stimulators, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2), and inhibitors, such as tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), have been detected in neuroblastoma tumors. Moreover, an increased production of MMP-2 and -9 has been also observed in advanced stages of tumor, favoring degradation of extracellular matrix and enhancing tumor dissemination. High tumor vascularity is correlated with widely disseminated disease, MYCN amplification, unfavorable histology, and poor outcome. In contrast, low tumor vascularity is associated with prognostically favorable features, such as a localized disease and favorable histology. It is becoming increasingly evident that agents that interfere with blood vessel formation also block tumor progression. Preclinical studies suggest that antiangiogenic strategies may be effective in the treatment of neuroblastoma. A major goal is the determination of whether inhibition of angiogenesis is a realistic way of inhibiting tumor cell dissemination and formation of metastasis in neuroblastoma.
10.1196/annals.1322.014
Angiogenesis and anti-angiogenesis in neuroblastoma.
Ribatti D,Vacca A,Nico B,De Falco G,Giuseppe Montaldo P,Ponzoni M
European journal of cancer (Oxford, England : 1990)
Angiogenesis is a biological process by which new capillaries are formed from pre-existing vessels. It occurs in physiological and pathological conditions, such as tumours, where a specific critical turning point is the transition from the avascular to the vascular phase. Tumour angiogenesis depends mainly on the release by neoplastic cells of growth factors specific for endothelial cells that able to stimulate the growth of the host's blood vessels. This review summarises the literature concerning the relationship between angiogenesis and progression in human neuroblastoma, the most common extracranial solid tumour of infancy and childhood. It is becoming increasingly evident that agents which interfere with blood vessel formation also block tumour progression. Accordingly, anti-angiogenic tumour therapy has gained much interest in preclinical and clinical assessments. The recent applications of anti-angiogenic agents which interfere or block neuroblastoma progression are reviewed.
10.1016/s0959-8049(01)00337-9
Anti-angiogenesis in neuroblastoma.
Ribatti Domenico
Critical reviews in oncology/hematology
The nature of the angiogenic balance in neuroblastoma is complex, and a spectrum of angiogenesis stimulators and inhibitors have been detected in neuroblastoma tumours. The complex relationships between angiogenic cascade and anti-angiogenic agents in the tumour vascular phase have indicated that anti-angiogenesis can be considered as a strategy for the adjuvant therapy of neuroblastoma. The major goal is to establish if inhibition of angiogenesis is a realistic therapeutic strategy for inhibiting tumour cell dissemination and the formation of metastasis in neuroblastoma.
10.1016/j.critrevonc.2012.11.004
Tumour angiogenesis-Origin of blood vessels.
Krishna Priya S,Nagare R P,Sneha V S,Sidhanth C,Bindhya S,Manasa P,Ganesan T S
International journal of cancer
The conventional view of tumour vascularization is that tumours acquire their blood supply from neighbouring normal stroma. Additional methods of tumour vascularization such as intussusceptive angiogenesis, vasculogenic mimicry, vessel co-option and vasculogenesis have been demonstrated to occur. However, the origin of the endothelial cells and pericytes in the tumour vasculature is not fully understood. Their origin from malignant cells has been shown indirectly in lymphoma and neuroblastoma by immuno-FISH experiments. It is now evident that tumours arise from a small population of cells called cancer stem cells (CSCs) or tumour initiating cells. Recent data suggest that a proportion of tumour endothelial cells arise from cancer stem cells in glioblastoma. This was demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo. The analysis of chromosomal abnormalities in endothelial cells showed identical genetic changes to those identified in tumour cells. However, another report contradicted these results from the earlier studies in glioblastoma and had shown that CSCs give rise to pericytes and not endothelial cells. The main thrust of this review is the critical analysis of the conflicting data from different studies and the remaining questions in this field of research. The mechanism by which this phenomenon occurs is also discussed in detail. The transdifferentiation of CSCs to endothelial cells/pericytes has many implications in the progression and metastasis of the tumours and hence it would be a novel target for antiangiogenic therapy.
10.1002/ijc.30067
ADGRL4 Promotes Cell Growth, Aggressiveness, EMT, and Angiogenesis in Neuroblastoma via Activation of ERK/STAT3 Pathway.
Current molecular medicine
BACKGROUND:Neuroblastoma (NB) is one of the most common pediatric solid tumors. Emerging evidence has indicated that ADGRL4 can act as a master regulator of tumor progression. In addition, it is well documented that the ERK/STAT3 signaling pathway can promote the proliferation, EMT, angiogenesis, and metastasis in tumors. The current study was formulated to elucidate the exact role of ADGRL4 in the malignant behaviors of NB cells and to investigate the intrinsic mechanism. METHODS:In this work, expression differences of ADGRL4 in human NB cell lines and HUVECs were assessed via RT-qPCR and western blot analysis. For functional experiments, sh-ADGRL4 was transfected into SK-N-SH cells to generate ADGRL4 knockdown stable cell line. Moreover, ADGRL4 knockdown stable SK-N-SH cells were treated with LM22B-10 (an ERK activator) for rescue experiments. CCK-8 colony formation determined NB cells' growth, migration, invasion, wound healing, and transwell assays. Meanwhile, proliferation-, metastasis- and EMT- associated proteins were also detected. Additionally, a tube formation assay was employed to evaluate in vitro angiogenesis. VM-cadherin, the marker of angiogenesis, was assessed using immunofluorescence staining. RESULTS:Data showed notably upregulated ADGRL4 in NB cells, especially in SK-NSH cells. ADGRL4 knockdown inhibited NB cell growth, migration, invasion, EMT, and in vitro angiogenesis. ADGRL4 knockdown inactivated ERK/STAT3 signaling pathway. Activation of the ERK/STAT3 signaling pathway partially rescued the tumor suppression effects of ADGRL4 knockdown on NB cells. CONCLUSION:To conclude, the downregulation of ADGRL4 may inhibit cell growth, aggressiveness, EMT, and angiogenesis in NB by inactivating the ERK/STAT3 signaling pathway.
10.2174/0115665240254765231117122210
BAP31 Promotes Angiogenesis via Galectin-3 Upregulation in Neuroblastoma.
International journal of molecular sciences
Neuroblastoma (NB) is one of the highly vascularized childhood solid tumors, and understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying angiogenesis in NB is crucial for developing effective therapeutic strategies. B-cell receptor-associated protein 31 (BAP31) has been implicated in tumor progression, but its role in angiogenesis remains unexplored. This study investigated BAP31 modulation of pro-angiogenic factors in SH-SY5Y NB cells. Through protein overexpression, knockdown, antibody blocking, and quantification experiments, we demonstrated that overexpression of BAP31 led to increased levels of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) and Galectin-3 (GAL-3), which are known to promote angiogenesis. Conditioned medium derived from BAP31-overexpressing neuroblastoma cells stimulated migration and tube formation in endothelial cells, indicating its pro-angiogenic properties. Also, we demonstrated that BAP31 enhances capillary tube formation by regulating hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α) and its downstream target, GAL-3. Furthermore, GAL-3 downstream proteins, Jagged 1 and VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2), were up-regulated, and blocking GAL-3 partially inhibited the BAP31-induced tube formation. These findings suggest that BAP31 promotes angiogenesis in NB by modulating GAL-3 and VEGF signaling, thereby shaping the tumor microenvironment. This study provides novel insights into the pro-angiogenic role of BAP31 in NB.
10.3390/ijms25052946
Presence of cancer-associated fibroblasts inversely correlates with Schwannian stroma in neuroblastoma tumors.
Modern pathology : an official journal of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, Inc
Stromal cells have a central function in the regulation of tumor angiogenesis. Recent studies have shown that stromal myofibroblasts (cancer-associated fibroblasts) actively promote tumor growth and enhance tumor angiogenesis in many types of adult carcinomas. To evaluate the function cancer-associated fibroblasts have in neuroblastoma angiogenesis and investigate their relationship to stromal Schwann cells, we quantified cancer-associated fibroblasts in 60 primary neuroblastoma tumors and in a novel neuroblastoma xenograft model in which murine Schwann cells were induced to infiltrate into the tumor stroma. Tumor sections were examined for presence of microvascular proliferation, a hallmark of tumor angiogenesis. Cancer-associated fibroblasts were characterized by positive immunostaining for alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) and were distinguished from pericytes by staining negatively for high-molecular-weight caldesmon. alpha-SMA-positive cells were quantified and their number was defined as high when >1.0% of the area was positive. Associations between high cancer-associated fibroblast number, microvascular proliferation and established prognosticators were analyzed. High numbers of cancer-associated fibroblasts were associated with Schwannian stroma-poor histopathology and microvascular proliferation. Thirty-seven (80%) of the 46 Schwannian stroma-poor tumors had high numbers of cancer-associated fibroblasts in the tumor stroma compared to only 2 (14%) of the 14 Schwannian stroma-rich/dominant tumors (P<0.001). Thirty-three (89%) of 37 tumors with microvascular proliferation had high numbers of cancer-associated fibroblasts compared to 9 (40%) of 22 tumors without microvascular proliferation (P<0.001). In the xenografts with infiltrating Schwann cells (n=10), the number of cancer-associated fibroblasts per mm(2) was approximately sevenfold less than in the control xenografts without stromal Schwann cells (n=9) (mean of 51+/-30 vs 368+/-105, respectively; P<0.001). Thus, cancer-associated fibroblasts were inversely associated with presence of Schwann cells, suggesting that Schwann cells may prevent the activation of fibroblasts. A deeper understanding of the function cancer-associated fibroblasts have in neuroblastoma angiogenesis may guide future development of stroma-directed therapeutic strategies.
10.1038/modpathol.2009.52