Ectopic expression of AP-2α transcription factor suppresses glioma progression.

The transcriptional factor AP-2α is a tumor suppressor gene and is downregulated in various neoplasms including glioma. Although the level of AP-2α is negatively associated with the grade of human glioma, the specific functions of AP-2α in glioma are still unknown. In this study, we experimentally showed that artificial overexpression of AP-2α in glioma T98G and U251 cells significantly downregulated the mRNA levels of Bcl-xl, Bcl-2, c-IAP2 and survivin, together with upregulation of the Hrk mRNA levels. Reintroduction of AP-2α also induced downregulation of the protein levels of survivin and VEGF in glioma cells. In biological assays with T98G and U251 cells, AP-2α reduced tumor cell growth, increased cell death, attenuated cell migration and endothelial tube formation. The AP-2α transcription factor may play an important role in suppressing glioma progression.