Vascular endothelial growth factor C gene expression is closely related to invasion phenotype in gynecological tumor cells.

OBJECTIVE: The correlation between the gene expression of various angiogenic factors and in vitro invasive activity in 16 human gynecological cancer cell lines was investigated.
METHODS: Semiquantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis was performed to investigate the mRNA expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF-A, -B, -C, and -D), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 with beta-actin coamplified as an internal standard. Tumor cell migration along a gradient of substratum-bound fibronectin and invasion into reconstituted basement membrane were evaluated by haptotactic migration and invasion assay.
RESULTS: Expression of VEGF-A mRNA was detected in all 16 cell lines, whereas the relative expression levels of other VEGF family members and bFGF, differed markedly among the cell lines. There was a statistical correlation between VEGF-C gene expression and the number of cells that migrated and invaded (P < 0.01). However, expression of mRNAs of other angiogenic factors did not correlate with motility and invasive activity of the cells. Moreover, there was a close correlation between VEGF-C and MMP-2 gene expression levels (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSION: Tumor cells that produce VEGF-C may have a higher invasive and metastatic potential because of their capacity to pass through tissue barriers. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.