Expression of Tax-interacting protein 1 (TIP-1) facilitates angiogenesis and tumor formation of human glioblastoma cells in nude mice.

Glioblastoma is the most common and fatal type of primary brain tumors featured with hyperplastic blood vessels. Here, we performed meta-analyses of published data and established a correlation between high TIP-1 expression levels and the poor prognosis of glioblastoma patients. Next, we explored the biological relevance of TIP-1 expression in the pathogenesis of glioblastoma. By using orthotopic and heterotopic mouse models of human glioblastomas, this study has characterized TIP-1 as one contributing factor to the tumor-driven angiogenesis. In vitro and in vivo functional assays, along with biochemical analyses with microarrays and antibody arrays, have demonstrated that TIP-1 utilizes multiple pathways including modulating fibronectin gene expression and uPA protein secretion, to establish or maintain a pro-angiogenic microenvironment within human glioblastoma. In conclusion, this work supports one hypothesis that TIP-1 represents a novel prognostic biomarker and a therapeutic target of human glioblastoma.