Angiogenesis plays a key role in tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis. The mechanisms of increased tumor cell survival and decreased tumor cell apoptosis relate with angiogenesis. In this study, the molecular mechanisms for nuclear factor (NF)-κB d...
Angiogenesis plays a key role in tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis. The mechanisms of increased tumor cell survival and decreased tumor cell apoptosis relate with angiogenesis. In this study, the molecular mechanisms for nuclear factor (NF)-κB dependency in platelet-activating factor (PAF)-mediated angiogenesis and apoptosis are investigated. First, the involvement of PAF-dependent NF-κB activation pathway in mouse macrophage-induced angiogenesis was investigated. Mouse peritoneal macrophage-induced angiogenesis in a Matrigel implantation in vivo, which was inhibited by PAF antagonists or NF-κB inhibitors. The critical role for NF-κB activity in macrophage-induced angiogenesis implies that specific angiogenic molecules regulated by NF-κB are involved in the process. PAF antagonist or NF-κB inhibitors suppressed the expression macrophage-derived NF-κB-dependent angiogenic factors, such as interleukin (IL)-1, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). PAF antagonist or NF-κB inhibitors also, suppressed the expression of macrophage-derived NF-κB-dependent angiogenic factors and inhibit the human macrophage-derived angiogenesis. These results suggest that PAF-induced NF-κB activation is a critical upstream pathway in macrophage-induced angiogenesis. Second, the possibility that NF-κB and p53 transcriptionally cross-regulate each other's activity in VEGF expression by PAF was investigated. NF-κB subunits (p65/p50) increased the TNF luciferase activity and the increase was completely inhibited by wild type, but not mutated type, p53. Likewise, the p53-mediated increase in p53RE-reporter luciferase activity was completely inhibited by NF-κB subunits. PAF induced NF-κB activation in endothelial cell ECV 304. However PAF-induced NF-κB activation did not occur in p53-transfected ECV 304 cells. Treatment of MCF-7 cells overexpressing p53 with PAF resulted in no NF-κB activation, whereas strong NF-κB activation occurred in DLD-1 cells with no p53 activity due to p53 mutation. Furthermore, PAF-induced degradation of IκBα and p53 were observed to a similar kinetics. Parallel to VEGF luciferase activity, mRNA expression of VEGF was similarly regulated by PAF or wild type p53. These data suggest that PAF-induced increase in VEGF expression is due to decreased p53 activity which is reciprocally regulated by NF-κB activity. However, 5'-deletion and transient transfection and analysis showed that NF-κB and p53 exert their activity through regulating the transcription factors which bind to different binding site of VEGF promoter, sugessting an existence of NF-κB-independent pathway in p53-mediated regulation of VEGF expression. Third, the role of PAF in apoptosis was investigated. PAF enhanced anti-apototic factor gene expression and protein synthesis in mouse melanoma B16F10 cells and in vivo tumor model. PAF inhibited etoposide-induced DNA fragmentation and caspase-3 activation. PAF induced NF-κB activation in B16F10 cells and NF-κB inhibitor blocked PAF-induced anti-angiogenic factor gene expression and protein synthesis. Also, NF-κB inhibitor diminished the protective effect of PAF on etoposide-induced DNA fragmentation and caspase-3 activation. These data suggest that PAF protects against etoposide-induced apoptosis through NF-κB activation. These data indicate that i) PAF induces angiogenesis through NF-κB-dependent angiogenic factor expression in macrophage-induced angiogenesis, ii) PAF regulates VEGF expression through cross-talk of NF-κB and p53, iii) PAF inhibits etoposide-induced apoptosis through NF-κB activation. Thus, PAF appears to augment tumor growth and metastasis via enhancement of angiogenesis and suppression of apoptosis through the NF-κB-dependent pathway. This will provide an important clue for better understanding for the mechanism of tumor metastasis and growth.