Endoglin is necessary for angiogenesis in human ovarian carcinoma-derived primary endothelial cells

Abstract

Endoglin (CD105, END) is upregulated in proliferating endothelial cells, suggesting potential therapeutic properties. However, it is not clear whether endoglin mediates an enhanced proliferative rate or may be upregulated as part of a negative feedback loop. To gain insights into context-dependent and cell type-dependent regulatory effects of endoglin, we studied its role properties in human ovarian carcinoma-derived endothelial cells (ODMEC s). We isolated and cultured primary ODMEC s from epithelial ovarian carcinoma tissue. ODMEC s had higher expression of endoglin and VEGFR-2, and also exhibited enhanced spontaneous formation of vessel-like structures in vitro. Transfection of siRNA targeting endoglin in ODMEC s cells resulted in the reduction of the proliferation and tube formation. These results indicate that a subset of ODMEC s display abnormal angiogenic properties and this phenotype was blocked by decreasing endoglin levels, suggesting endoglin is essential for stimulating angiogenesis, and targeting it may be an attractive approach to anti-angiogenesis therapy for ovarian carcinoma. © 2013 Landes Bioscience.