ABSTRACT
Gliomas are the most common malignant primary brain tumors with poor prognosis. The migration-inducing gene-7 (Mig-7) protein is a cysteine-rich protein. Vasculogenic mimicry can replace endothelium-dependent blood vessels and supply blood to tumors, thus promoting tumor invasion and metastasis. They have also been shown to play critical roles in the development and progression of various cancers. We attempted to explore the role of Mig-7 and vasculogenic mimicry in glioma progression. We demonstrated that Mig-7 and vasculogenic mimicry were not expressed in normal tissues. In glioma, Mig-7 expression was positively associated with vasculogenic mimicry formation, the expression of both increased with increasing glioma pathological grade. In-vitro, Mig-7 silencing may inhibit the in-vitro invasiveness and formation of vasculogenic mimicry in human glioma U87 cells by inhibiting the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT/ matrix metalloproteinases 2 and matrix metalloproteinases 9 signaling pathway. The present study thus indicates a potential role for Mig-7 as a target in the treatment of glioma.
