Downregulation of HIF-1a sensitizes U251 glioma cells to the temozolomide (TMZ) treatment

•TMZ caused more significant proliferation inhibition and apoptosis in U251 cells after downregulating HIF-1α.•Under TMZ treatment, HIF-1 downregulated U251 cells exhibited weaker mobility and more differentiated state.•TMZ caused MGMT over-expression and Notch1 pathway activation, which could be abrogated by HIF-1α downregulation.

PurposeThe aim of this study was to investigate the effect of downregulation of HIF-1α gene on human U251 glioma cells and examine the consequent changes of TMZ induced effects and explore the molecular mechanisms.MethodsU251 cell line stably expressing HIF-1α shRNA was acquired via lentiviral vector transfection. The mRNA and protein expression alterations of genes involved in our study were determined respectively by qRT-PCR and Western blot. Cell proliferation was measured by MTT assay and colony formation assay, cell invasion/migration capacity was determined by transwell invasion assay/wound healing assay, and cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry.ResultsWe successfully established a U251 cell line with highly efficient HIF-1α knockdown. HIF-1a downregulation sensitized U251 cells to TMZ treatment and enhanced the proliferation-inhibiting, invasion/migration-suppressing, apoptosis-inducing and differentiation-promoting effects exerted by TMZ. The related molecular mechanisms demonstrated that expression of O6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase gene (MGMT) and genes of Notch1 pathway were significantly upregulated by TMZ treatment. However, this upregulation was abrogated by HIF-1α knockdown. We further confirmed important regulatory roles of HIF-1α in the expression of MGMT and activation of Notch1 pathways.ConclusionHIF-1α downregulation sensitizes U251 glioma cells to the temozolomide treatment via inhibiting MGMT expression and Notch1 pathway activation.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload high-quality image (215 K)Download as PowerPoint slide