Hypoxia is a Key Driver of Alternative Splicing in Human Breast Cancer Cells

Sci Rep. 2017 Jun 22;7(1):4108. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-04333-0.

Abstract

Adaptation to hypoxia, a hallmark feature of many tumors, is an important driver of cancer cell survival, proliferation and the development of resistance to chemotherapy. Hypoxia-induced stabilization of hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) leads to transcriptional activation of a network of hypoxia target genes involved in angiogenesis, cell growth, glycolysis, DNA damage repair and apoptosis. Although the transcriptional targets of hypoxia have been characterized, the alternative splicing of transcripts that occurs during hypoxia and the roles they play in oncogenesis are much less understood. To identify and quantify hypoxia-induced alternative splicing events in human cancer cells, we performed whole transcriptome RNA-Seq in breast cancer cells that are known to provide robust transcriptional response to hypoxia. We found 2005 and 1684 alternative splicing events including intron retention, exon skipping and alternative first exon usage that were regulated by acute and chronic hypoxia where intron retention was the most dominant type of hypoxia-induced alternative splicing. Many of these genes are involved in cellular metabolism, transcriptional regulation, actin cytoskeleton organisation, cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion, suggesting they may modulate or be involved in additional features of tumorigenic development that extend beyond the known functions of canonical full-length transcripts.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alternative Splicing*
  • Breast Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Breast Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Movement / genetics
  • Cell Survival / genetics
  • Exons
  • Female
  • GTPase-Activating Proteins / genetics
  • GTPase-Activating Proteins / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic*
  • Humans
  • Hypoxia / genetics*
  • Hypoxia / metabolism
  • Introns
  • Membrane Proteins / metabolism
  • NF-E2-Related Factor 1 / metabolism
  • Neoplasm Proteins / metabolism
  • RNA Processing, Post-Transcriptional
  • Transcription Factors / metabolism
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor Ligand Superfamily Member 13 / genetics
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor Ligand Superfamily Member 13 / metabolism

Substances

  • AHNAK protein, human
  • ARHGAP4 protein, human
  • GTPase-Activating Proteins
  • Membrane Proteins
  • NF-E2-Related Factor 1
  • NFE2L1 protein, human
  • Neoplasm Proteins
  • TNFSF13 protein, human
  • Transcription Factors
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor Ligand Superfamily Member 13
  • VGLL4 protein, human