Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Daniel Delgado-Bellido, F. J. Oliver, Maria Victoria Vargas Padilla, Laura Lobo-Selma, Antonio Chacon-Barrado, Juan Diaz-Martin, Enrique de alava
Summary: Tumor growth can be facilitated by the expansion of blood vessels or the development of vasculogenic mimicry (VM), a novel pathway involving aggressive tumor cells expressing endothelial cell markers. VM is associated with high tumor grade, cancer cell invasion, metastasis, and reduced survival. This review summarizes studies on angiogenesis and aberrant angiogenesis by tumor cells, discusses the intracellular signaling mechanisms involved in VM formation, and explores the implications for tumor angiogenesis and targeted therapy.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Maria Sol Recouvreux, Jiangyong Miao, Maricel C. Gozo, Jingni Wu, Ann E. Walts, Beth Y. Karlan, Sandra Orsulic
Summary: Tumors require a continuous supply of oxygen and nutrients for growth, and vasculogenic mimicry is a coping mechanism where cancer cells form vascular-like structures. FOXC2 gene expression is associated with vasculogenic mimicry and aggressive cancer behavior.
Article
Immunology
Haitao Hu, Ting Ma, Nanqi Liu, Hong Hong, Lujiao Yu, Dantong Lyu, Xin Meng, Biao Wang, Xuefeng Jiang
Summary: Vasculogenic mimicry (VM) is a vessel-like structure independent of endothelial cells, commonly found in solid tumors. It is closely associated with tumor proliferation, invasion, metastasis, and poor patient prognosis. Various factors, including immune cells, cytokines, and signaling molecules, have been reported to be involved in ovarian cancer progression and VM formation. This review discusses the mechanisms regulating VM formation in ovarian cancer, the impact of cells, cytokines, and signaling molecules in the tumor microenvironment on VM formation, and the current clinical application of drugs targeting VM formation.
INTERNATIONAL IMMUNOPHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Deok-Soo Han, Eun-Ok Lee
Summary: This study investigated the crucial role of Sp1 in the process of vasculogenic mimicry (VM) in human prostate cancer cells. The results demonstrated that Sp1 mediates VM formation through interacting with the twist/VE-cadherin/AKT pathway in human PCa cells.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Xingyu Fan, Junfeng Huang, Bingqi Hu, Jing Zhou, Liwen Chen
Summary: This study found that tumor-expressed B7-H3 promotes VM formation by NSCLC cells via the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, but has no effect on angiogenesis in NSCLC.
JOURNAL OF CANCER RESEARCH AND CLINICAL ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Muhammad Azhar Nisar, Qin Zheng, Muhammad Zubair Saleem, Bulbul Ahmmed, Muhammad Noman Ramzan, Syed Riaz Ud Din, Naeem Tahir, Shuai Liu, Qiu Yan
Summary: The study revealed that IL-1 beta promotes vascular mimicry in breast cancer cells by increasing the expression of VM biomarkers, activating the AP-1 complex, and involving the p38/MAPK and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways. Furthermore, the downregulation of VM biomarkers and reduced formation of intersections confirmed the involvement of these pathways in IL-1 beta stimulation.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Ran Fu, Wenwen Du, Zongli Ding, Yi Wang, Yue Li, Jianjie Zhu, Yuanyuan Zeng, Yulong Zheng, Zeyi Liu, Jian-an Huang
Summary: This study revealed the role of the HIF-1 alpha/NRP1 axis in mediating lung adenocarcinoma metastasis and VM formation. High expression of HIF-1 alpha and NRP1 was associated with poor prognosis, highlighting the potential therapeutic value of targeting NRP1 to suppress lung adenocarcinoma metastasis and progression.
CELL DEATH & DISEASE
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Bochao Geng, Yuanzhang Zhu, Yingying Yuan, Jingyi Bai, Zhizhi Dou, Aihua Sui, Wenjuan Luo
Summary: The study found that the traditional antimalarial drug artesunate (ART) eliminated vasculogenic mimicry (VM) formation in choroidal melanoma (CM) cells by inhibiting the Wnt5a/CaMKII signaling pathway, as well as downregulated the expression levels of angiogenesis and VM-related proteins, leading to decreased angiogenesis and VM formation. Furthermore, ART also inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of CM cells.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hao Li, Di Wang, Bolong Yi, Heng Cai, Yipeng Wang, Xin Lou, Zhuo Xi, Zhen Li
Summary: This study identified the SUMOylation of IGF2BP2 in regulating the OIP5-AS1/miR-495-3p axis to promote VM formation in glioma cells and xenograft growth in nude mice, offering a new perspective for molecular targeted therapy of glioma.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Cristina Pagano, Giovanna Navarra, Olga Pastorino, Giorgio Avilia, Laura Coppola, Rosa Della Monica, Lorenzo Chiariotti, Tullio Florio, Alessandro Corsaro, Giovanni Torelli, Pasquale Caiazzo, Patrizia Gazzerro, Maurizio Bifulco, Chiara Laezza
Summary: The study demonstrated that N6-isopentenyladenosine (iPA) inhibits the formation of capillary-like structures in glioblastoma cells by modulating the Src/p120-catenin pathway and inhibiting RhoA-GTPase activity, suggesting iPA as a promising novel drug for GBM clinical therapeutics.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Yishan Huang, Chenchen Zhu, Pei Liu, Fan Ouyang, Juanjuan Luo, Chunjiao Lu, Bo Tang, Xiaojun Yang
Summary: Antiangiogenic therapy is a promising clinical strategy for tumor treatment. However, vasculogenic mimicry (VM) formed by invasive tumor cells has been identified as a potential factor for the failure of antiangiogenic therapy. This study demonstrates that L1CAM plays a critical role in VM formation in glioma and may be associated with the resistance of glioma to antiangiogenic therapy.
MOLECULAR ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Fangzhu Wan, Haojiong Zhang, Jiyi Hu, Li Chen, Shikai Geng, Lin Kong, Jiade J. Lu
Summary: This study identified miR-125a as highly expressed in normal nasopharyngeal epithelial tissue compared to nasopharyngeal carcinoma. It demonstrated that miR-125a inhibits the migration and vasculogenic mimicry (VM) formation in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells, targeting TAZ. Additionally, artificial engineering of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) allowed the generation of miR-125a-overexpressing exosomes which attenuated VM formation and migration in nasopharyngeal carcinoma, providing a potential therapeutic approach.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Gabriela Morales-Guadarrama, Rocio Garcia-Becerra, Edgar Armando Mendez-Perez, Janice Garcia-Quiroz, Euclides Avila, Lorenza Diaz
Summary: In solid tumors, vasculogenic mimicry (VM) involves the formation of vascular structures by cancer cells, contributing to tumor neovascularization, promoting metastasis, and driving resistance to antiangiogenic therapy. Various factors, including hypoxia and specific genes, play a role in this process.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Deok-Soo Han, Hyo-Jeong Lee, Eun-Ok Lee
Summary: This study discovered that resveratrol could inhibit the occurrence of vasculogenic mimicry in prostate cancer cells, which is closely related to cancer progression and metastasis. Resveratrol achieves its anti-vasculogenic mimicry effect by suppressing the EphA2/twist-VE-cadherin/AKT signaling cascade.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Estefania Contreras-Sanzon, Angeles Carlos-Reyes, Monica Sierra-Martinez, Gustavo Acosta-Altamirano, Cesar Luna-Rivero, David Nunez-Corona, Alejandra Paola Garcia-Hernandez, Eloisa Ibarra-Sierra, Horacio Vidrio-Morgado, Maria Elizbeth Alvarez-Sanchez, Laurence A. Marchat, Cesar Lopez-Camarillo
Summary: This study evaluated the expression of VM-associated microRNAs in tumors of metastatic breast cancer patients and explored their potential therapeutic value in disease progression. It was found that certain microRNAs regulating VM and metastasis were downregulated in primary tumors of patients with metastatic disease, and these regulatory factors had predictive value in patient survival. Furthermore, in vitro experiments demonstrated that miR-145 mimics could inhibit the development of VM in metastatic breast cancer cells.
TRANSLATIONAL ONCOLOGY
(2023)