Cancer Cell
Volume 14, Issue 6, 9 December 2008, Pages 435-446
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Article
HIF-α Effects on c-Myc Distinguish Two Subtypes of Sporadic VHL-Deficient Clear Cell Renal Carcinoma

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Summary

von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor loss results in hypoxia-inducible factor alpha (HIF-α) stabilization and occurs in 70% of sporadic clear cell renal carcinomas (ccRCCs). To determine whether opposing influences of HIF-1α and HIF-2α on c-Myc activity regulate human ccRCC progression, we analyzed VHL genotype and HIF-α expression in 160 primary tumors, which segregated into three groups with distinct molecular characteristics. Interestingly, ccRCCs with intact VHL, as well as pVHL-deficient HIF-1α/HIF-2α-expressing ccRCCs, exhibited enhanced Akt/mTOR and ERK/MAPK signaling. In contrast, pVHL-deficient ccRCCs expressing only HIF-2α displayed elevated c-Myc activity, resulting in enhanced proliferation and resistance to replication stress. These reproducible distinctions in ccRCC behavior delineate HIF-α effects on c-Myc in vivo and suggest molecular criteria for selecting targeted therapies.

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