Inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor-induced endothelial cell migration by ETS1 antisense oligonucleotides

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) increased the level of ETS1 mRNA in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and human lung microvascular endothelial cells (HMVEC-L) over 5-fold. Protein levels were shown to increase concordantly. VEGF was also found to stimulate the invasiveness of endothelial cells as measured by migration through Matrigel- or gelatin-coated membranes. The VEGF-induced invasiveness was inhibited by ETS1 antisense oligonucleotides but not by a sense control. In addition, the ETS1 antisense oligonucleotides reduced the levels of ETS1 and urokinase-type plasminogen activator mRNAs. The antisense oligonucleotides directed against the ETS1 gene thus altered a cellular property of endothelial cells that is correlated with the ability of the cells to migrate through basement membranes. Together, these observations demonstrate a direct role for the ETS1 gene in angiogenesis.