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The Role of FoxC2 Transcription Factor in Tumor Angiogenesis

Tsutomu Kume1

  • 1Feinberg Cardiovascular Research Institute, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 303E Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.

Journal of Oncology
|December 17, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Forkhead box C2 (FoxC2) is crucial for tumor angiogenesis and progression. Targeting FoxC2 may offer a new therapeutic strategy for aggressive cancers by inhibiting tumor growth and metastasis.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Vascular Biology

Background:

  • Tumor angiogenesis, crucial for disease progression, is targeted by therapies like anti-VEGF.
  • Transcriptional regulation of pathological angiogenesis remains poorly understood.
  • Forkhead box C2 (FoxC2) is a transcription factor vital for vascular development and expressed in tumor endothelium.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of FoxC2 in tumor angiogenesis and progression.
  • To explore FoxC2 as a potential therapeutic target in cancer.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a B16 mouse melanoma model to study Foxc2 deficiency.
  • Examined FoxC2 expression in tumor cells from human breast, colonic, and esophageal cancers.
  • Assessed tumor growth, neovascularization, mural-cell coverage, and endothelial-cell apoptosis.

Main Results:

  • Foxc2 deficiency in mice reduced tumor growth and neovascularization.
  • Reduced Foxc2 led to impaired mural-cell coverage and increased endothelial-cell apoptosis in tumor blood vessels.
  • FoxC2 expression in tumor cells correlated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process linked to invasion and metastasis.

Conclusions:

  • FoxC2 plays an essential role in promoting tumor angiogenesis and disease progression.
  • FoxC2 is implicated in EMT, invasion, and metastasis of aggressive cancers.
  • FoxC2 represents a promising therapeutic target for cancer treatment.

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