Exosomes Derived from Hypoxic Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells Deliver miR-21 to Normoxic Cells to Elicit a Prometastatic Phenotype

Hypoxia is a common feature of solid tumors and is associated with aggressiveness and poor patient outcomes. Exosomes, initially considered to be cellular "garbage dumpsters," are now implicated in mediating interactions with the cellular environment. However, the mechanisms underlying the association between exosomes and hypoxia during cancer progression remain poorly understood. In this study, we found that exosomes derived from hypoxic oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells increased the migration and invasion of OSCC cells in a HIF-1α and HIF-2α-dependent manner. Given that exosomes have been shown to transport miRNAs to alter cellular functions, we performed miRNA sequencing of normoxic and hypoxic…

• NS
  Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai

  Award: 81302375 and 81200771