Exosomes derived from hypoxic glioma deliver miR-1246 and miR-10b-5p to normoxic glioma cells to promote migration and invasion

Lab Invest. 2021 May;101(5):612-624. doi: 10.1038/s41374-020-00522-0. Epub 2021 Jan 14.

Abstract

Hypoxia is an important feature of the tumor microenvironment and is associated with glioma progression and patient outcome. Exosomes have been implicated in the intercellular communication in the tumor microenvironment. However, the effects of hypoxic glioma exosomes on glioma migration and invasion and the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we found that exosomes derived from hypoxic glioma cells (H-GDEs) promoted normoxic glioma migration and invasion in vitro and in vivo. Given that exosomes can regulate recipient cell functions by delivering microRNAs, we further revealed miR-1246 and miR-10b-5p were upregulated significantly in H-GDEs and delivered to normoxic glioma cells by H-GDEs. Moreover, we determined the clinical relevance of miR-1246 and miR-10b-5p in glioma patients. Subsequent investigations indicated that miR-1246 and miR-10b-5p markedly induced glioma migration and invasion in vitro and in vivo. Finally, we demonstrated that miR-1246 and miR-10b-5p induced glioma migration and invasion by directly targeting FRK and TFAP2A respectively. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the hypoxic microenvironment stimulates glioma to generate miR-1246- and miR-10b-5p-rich exosomes that are delivered to normoxic glioma cells to promote their migration and invasion; treatment targeting miR-1246 and miR-10b-5p may impair the motility of gliomas, providing a novel direction for the development of antitumor therapy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Movement
  • Exosomes / metabolism*
  • Glioma / metabolism*
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Humans
  • Hypoxia / metabolism*
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Nude
  • MicroRNAs / metabolism*
  • Neoplasm Invasiveness
  • Neoplasm Proteins / metabolism
  • Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / metabolism
  • Transcription Factor AP-2 / metabolism

Substances

  • MIRN10 microRNA, human
  • MIRN1246 microRNA, human
  • MicroRNAs
  • Neoplasm Proteins
  • TFAP2A protein, human
  • Transcription Factor AP-2
  • Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
  • FRK protein, human