Abstract
We have examined the effect of hypoxia and nutrient depletion on the growth of human neuroblastoma cells with normal or enhanced expression of the N-myc oncogene. The combination of both conditions reduced the growth of neuroblastoma cells with normal N-myc expression. However, this effect was much more pronounced in neuroblastoma cells with enhanced N-myc expression and eventually resulted in apoptosis, presumably by the up-regulation of CD95. Our data suggest that therapeutic induction of tumor hypoxia and nutrient depletion (for example, by anti-angiogenesis) could help to improve the outcome of patients with neuroblastomas carrying the prognostically unfavourable N-myc amplification.
Copyright 2001 Academic Press.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Apoptosis / drug effects*
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Apoptosis / genetics
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Cell Cycle / drug effects
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Cell Cycle / genetics
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Cell Division / drug effects
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Cell Division / genetics
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Cell Hypoxia
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Culture Media, Serum-Free / pharmacology
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DNA, Recombinant
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Flow Cytometry
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Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
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Genetic Vectors / genetics
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Humans
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Neuroblastoma / genetics*
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Neuroblastoma / metabolism
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Neuroblastoma / pathology
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Oxygen / pharmacology*
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / genetics*
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / metabolism
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Time Factors
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Transfection
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Tumor Cells, Cultured
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fas Receptor / analysis
Substances
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Culture Media, Serum-Free
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DNA, Recombinant
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc
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fas Receptor
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Oxygen