Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 8, 2025

Induction and Testing of Hypoxia in Cell Culture
Published on: August 12, 2011
Hypoxia-induced ELF3 promotes tumor angiogenesis through IGF1/IGF1R
Seung Hee Seo1, Soo-Yeon Hwang1, Seohui Hwang1
1College of Pharmacy, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea.
None:
Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is one of the most lethal gynecological cancers despite a relatively low incidence. Angiogenesis, one of the hallmarks of cancer, is essential for the pathogenesis of EOC, which is related to the induction of angiogenic factors. We found that ELF3 was highly expressed in EOCs under hypoxia and functioned as a transcription factor for IGF1. The ELF3-mediated increase in the secretion of IGF1 and VEGF promoted endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and EOC angiogenesis. Although this situation was much exaggerated under hypoxia, ELF3 silencing under hypoxia significantly attenuated angiogenic activity in endothelial cells by reducing the expression and secretion of IGF1 and VEGF. ELF3 silencing attenuated angiogenesis and tumorigenesis in ex vivo and xenograft mouse models. Consequently, ELF3 plays an important role in the induction of angiogenesis and tumorigenesis in EOC as a transcription factor of IGF1. A detailed understanding of the biological mechanism of ELF3 may both improve current antiangiogenic therapies and have anticancer effects for EOC.
Related Concept Videos
Regulation of Angiogenesis and Blood Supply
The Tumor Microenvironment
Mechanism of Angiogenesis
PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway
Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
Mitogens and the Cell Cycle

