Twist2 promotes ovarian cancer cell survival through activation of Akt

Mao,Yubin; Xu,Jinfei; Song,Gang; Zhang,Nini; Yin,Hao

doi:10.3892/ol.2013.1316

Twist2 promotes ovarian cancer cell survival through activation of Akt

Authors:
- Yubin Mao
- Jinfei Xu
- Gang Song
- Nini Zhang
- Hao Yin
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Affiliations: Department of Pathophysiology in Basic Science, Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, P.R. China, Cancer Research Center, Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, P.R. China
Published online on: April 24, 2013 https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2013.1316
Pages: 169-174

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Abstract

Hypoxia‑inducible factor‑1α (HIF‑1α) is an important prognostic factor in ovarian carcinoma. Hypoxia contributes to tumor progression and is involved in the epithelial‑mesenchymal transition (EMT). Twist2 is an EMT regulator, however, it remains poorly understood in ovarian carcinoma. The present study evaluated the expression of HIF‑1α and Twist2 and further investigated whether Twist2 is involved in hypoxia‑induced apoptosis in ovarian cancer. A series of matched paraffin‑embedded tissue sections from human primary ovarian cancer and normal ovarian tissues were examined through immunohistochemical analysis, a Twist2‑overexpressing stable ovarian cancer cell line was established and deferoxamine (DFO) was introduced to simulate hypoxic conditions. DFO‑induced apoptosis was examined by fluorescence microscopy, MTT assays and flow cytometry. In addition, a western blot analysis was performed to examine the molecular mechanism(s) of action. Twist2 increased in epithelial ovarian cancers associated with HIF‑1α expression. The acquired expression of Twist2 was able to promote the survival of ovarian cancer cells through Akt phosphorylation under DFO‑induced hypoxic stress. The results suggest that Twist2 activates the PI‑3K‑Akt pathway to protect cells from apoptosis in a hypoxic environment. Moreover, Twist2 may be involved in the HIF‑1α signaling pathway in ovarian cancer.

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