Contribution of p53 on the induction of VEGF by hyperthermia

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays an important role in angiogenesis, which is associated with tumor growth. Recent evidence has shown that the p53 gene is one of the factors for determining cellular thermosensitivity. Previously, we have reported that the cellular thermosensitivity of wild-type (wt) p53 cells was higher than that of p53-deficient or mutant (m) p53 cells. We have also found that the thermosensitivity of wtp53 tumors was also higher than that of mp53 tumors. These findings suggest that the induction or suppression of tumor environmental factors due to a p53-dependent manner may contribute to the kinetics of tumor regrowth after hyperthermia. However, the correlation of p53 functions and the induction of VEGF by hyperthermia remains unclear. In the present study using human glioblastoma cells, we found that the accumulation of VEGF was induced by hyperthermia at 44 degrees C in the mp53 cells, but not in the wtp53 cells. We will discuss the contribution of p53 gene to anti-tumor effects of hyperthermia