Regulation of Angiogenesis by EZH2

While VEGF-targeted therapies are showing promise in clinical studies, new angiogenesis targets are needed to make additional gains. Here, we show that increased Zeste homologue 2 (EZH2) expression in either tumor cells or in tumor vasculature is predictive of poor clinical outcome. The increase in endothelial EZH2 is a direct result of VEGF stimulation and indicates the presence of a paracrine circuit that promotes angiogenesis by methylating and silencing vasohibin 1 (VASH1). EZH2 silencing in the tumor-associated endothelial cells resulted in inhibition of angiogenesis mediated by reactivation of VASH1, and reduced ovarian cancer growth. Combined, these data provide a new understanding of the regulation of tumor angiogenesis and support the potential for targeting EZH2 as a novel therapeutic approach.

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Lu C, Han HD, Mangala LS, Ali-Fehmi R, Newton CS, Ozbun L, Armaiz-Pena GN, Hu W, Stone RL, Munkarah A, Ravoori MK, Shahzad MM, Lee JW, Mora E, Langley RR, Carroll AR, Matsuo K, Spannuth WA, Schmandt R, Jennings NB, Goodman BW, Jaffe RB, Nick AM, Kim HS, Guven EO, Chen YH, Li LY, Hsu MC, Coleman RL, Calin GA, Denkbas EB, Lim JY, Lee JS, Kundra V, Birrer MJ, Hung MC, Lopez-Berestein G, Sood AK