Downregulation of VEGF expression attenuates malignant biological behavior of C6 glioma stem cells

Int J Oncol. 2014 May;44(5):1581-8. doi: 10.3892/ijo.2014.2331. Epub 2014 Mar 10.

Abstract

Several lines of direct evidence show that gliomas express high levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). VEGF can promote the growth of gliomas through angiogenesis. It is believed that gliomas originate in the brain tumor stem cells (BTSCs). However, the direct effect of VEGF on the biological behavior of BTSCs has not been completely elucidated. In this study, we established C6 glioma stem cells (C6GSCs) from the C6 glioma cells. Furthermore, we suppressed the VEGF expression of C6GSCs using lentiviral vector-VEGF shRNA. After transfection, the VEGF expression of C6GSCs was downregulated significantly. The proliferation and invasion capacity of transfected C6GSCs was impaired and the ability of differentiation was enhanced. The data demonstrate that downregulation of VEGF expression attenuates malignant biological behavior of C6GSCs. RNA interference of VEGF expression implies an effective anti-gliomas strategy.

MeSH terms

  • Astrocytes / metabolism
  • Cell Differentiation
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • Glioma / metabolism
  • Glioma / pathology*
  • Humans
  • Neoplasm Invasiveness / pathology
  • Neoplastic Stem Cells / metabolism*
  • Neurons / metabolism
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / genetics*
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / metabolism*

Substances

  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A