Comparative analysis of the effect of hypoxia in two different tumor cell models shows the differential involvement of PTEN control of proangiogenic pathways.

Hypoxia, low, non-physiological oxygen tension is a key regulator of tumor microenvironment, determining the pathological tumor vascularization. Alleviation of hypoxia through vessel normalization may be a promising therapeutic approach. We aimed to assess the role of low oxygen tension in PTEN-related pathways and proangiogenic response, in vitro, in two different tumor cell lines, focusing on potential therapeutic targets for tumor vessel normalization. Downregulation of PTEN in hypoxia mediates the activation of distinct mechanisms: cytoplasmic pAKT activation in melanoma and pMDM2 modulation in kidney cancer. We show that hypoxia-induced proangiogenic potential was stronger in Renca cells than B16 F10-confirmed by a distinct secretory potential and different ability to affect endothelial cells functions. Therefore, the impact of hypoxia on PTEN-mediated regulation may determine the therapeutic targets and effectiveness of vessel normalization and intrinsic characteristics of cancer cell have to be taken into account when designing treatment.