Nai-Wei Yao1, 2, Chiao-Chi V. Chen1, Yi-Hua Hsu1, Hsiu-Ting Lin1, Jeou-Yuan Chen1, Chen Chang1
1Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academic Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan; 2Department of Zoology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
Osteopontin (OPN) expression in glioblastoma has been correlated with diverse function of tumor development. The major goal of the present study is to elucidate the involvement of OPN in tumor angiogenesis, concerning both functional and structural characteristics of the tumor vasculature. The role of OPN in tumor angiogenesis was studied using a rat C6 glioma model with OPN knockdown (KD). The functional and structural aspects of the tumor vasculature were investigated by blood oxygenation level dependant (BOLD) MRI with gas challenge and steady-state contrast-enhanced (SSCE) MRI, respectively. The study directly provided in vivo evidence on the role of OPN in the functionality of tumor vasculature.
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