Semaphorin 3F, a chemorepulsant for endothelial cells, induces a poorly vascularized, encapsulated, nonmetastatic tumor phenotype

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Abstract

Melanoma is the most lethal skin cancer. Most deaths from melanoma result from metastases. Semaphorins have been shown to inhibit neuronal and endothelial cell migration, but the effects of semaphorins on tumor metastasis have not been documented. We found that semaphorin 3F (SEMA3F) was markedly downregulated in highly metastatic human cell lines in vitro and in vivo, which suggested that it may be a metastasis inhibitor. Metastatic human melanoma cells were transfected with SEMA3F and implanted into mice; the resultant tumors did not metastasize. Rather, the primary tumors resembled benign nevi characterized by large areas of apoptosis, diminished vascularity, inhibition of hyperplasia in overlying epidermal cells, and encapsulated tumor borders delineated by thick layers of fibroblasts and collagen matrix. This phenotype is in stark contrast to highly invasive, vascular mock-transfected tumors. In vitro, tumor cells expressing SEMA3F had a diminished capacity to adhere and migrate on fibronectin. Consistent with semaphorin-mediated chemorepulsion of neurons, tumor cells expressing SEMA3F were chemorepulsive for vascular and lymphatic endothelial cells expressing neuropilin-2 (NRP2), a novel mechanism for a tumor angiogenesis inhibitor. The repulsive activity was abrogated by NRP2 RNA interference. Together these results indicate that SEMA3F is a potent metastasis inhibitor that targets both tumor and stromal cells and raise the possibility of SEMA3F having therapeutic potential.

Authors

Diane R. Bielenberg, Yasuhiro Hida, Akio Shimizu, Arja Kaipainen, Michael Kreuter, Caroline Choi Kim, Michael Klagsbrun

Vasohibin as an endothelium-derived negative feedback regulator of angiogenesis

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Abstract

Negative feedback is a crucial physiological regulatory mechanism, but no such regulator of angiogenesis has been established. Here we report a novel angiogenesis inhibitor that is induced in endothelial cells (ECs) by angiogenic factors and inhibits angiogenesis in an autocrine manner. We have performed cDNA microarray analysis to survey VEGF-inducible genes in human ECs. We characterized one such gene, KIAA1036, whose function had been uncharacterized. The recombinant protein inhibited migration, proliferation, and network formation by ECs as well as angiogenesis in vivo. This inhibitory effect was selective to ECs, as the protein did not affect the migration of smooth muscle cells or fibroblasts. Specific elimination of the expression of KIAA1036 in ECs restored their responsiveness to a higher concentration of VEGF. The expression of KIAA1036 was selective to ECs, and hypoxia or TNF-α abrogated its inducible expression. As this molecule is preferentially expressed in ECs, we designated it “vasohibin.” Transfection of Lewis lung carcinoma cells with the vasohibin gene did not affect the proliferation of cancer cells in vitro, but did inhibit tumor growth and tumor angiogenesis in vivo. We propose vasohibin to be an endothelium-derived negative feedback regulator of angiogenesis.

Authors

Kazuhide Watanabe, Yasuhiro Hasegawa, Hiroshi Yamashita, Kazue Shimizu, Yuanying Ding, Mayumi Abe, Hideki Ohta, Keiichi Imagawa, Kanji Hojo, Hideo Maki, Hikaru Sonoda, Yasufumi Sato