Vasculogenic mimicry (VM) refers to the unique ability of highly aggressive human tumor cells to form matrix-rich networks de novo when cultured on a three-dimensional matrix, thus mimicking embryonic vasculogenesis. Some studies have shown that tumor hypoxia can promote tumor cells to form vessel-like tubes in vitro and express genes associated with VM. Although, the mechanisms involved in hypoxia-induced VM remain elusive, we hypothesized that the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) regulator Twist may play a major role in hypoxia-induced VM. We investigated this hypothesis in vitro by pretreating hepatocellular carcinoma cells under hypoxic conditions. Following the hypoxia treatment, the cells formed typical pipe-like VM networks. Moreover, the expression of VM markers was increased. Hypoxia-induced VM was accompanied by the increased expression of Twist. Twist siRNA reversed the effects of hypoxia on VM. These results suggest that the overexpression of Twist correlates to hypoxia-induced VM in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.
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