Abstract #1996
VEGF Overexpression Combined with Hypoxia is Associated with Increased Invasion and Changed Cellular Metabolism in a Human Prostate Cancer Cell Line
Raman V, Wildes F, Ackerstaff E, Artemov D, Bhujwalla Z
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
High expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), high tumoral total choline (tCho) levels and hypoxia have been linked to increased metastasis. We investigated the effects of VEGF overexpression and hypoxia on invasion and metabolism of the prostate cancer cell line, PC-3, co-cultured with human umbilical vein endothelial cells under oxygenation and hypoxia, using our Metabolic Boyden Chamber. VEGF overexpression increased invasion of hypoxic cancer cells and decreased levels of intracellular mobile lipids. Hypoxia tended to increase tCho levels in the cancer cells. Our results may in part explain the increased occurrence of metastasis observed in patients with cancers secreting high levels of VEGF and the associated metabolic changes.
