Antioxidants stimulate BACHI-dependent tumor angiogenesis

Introduction Lung tumor growth and metastasis requires angiogenesis--the formation of new blood vessels (1, 2). Angiogenesis is typically triggered by hypoxia, which stabilizes hypoxia-inducible transcription factors (HIFs) including HIF1[alpha] and [...]
Lung cancer progression relies on angiogenesis, which is a response to hypoxia typically coordinated by hypoxia- inducible transcription factors (HIFs), but growing evidence indicates that transcriptional programs beyond HIFs control tumor angiogenesis. Here, we show that the redox-sensitive transcription factor BTB and CNC homology 1 (BACH1) controls the transcription of a broad range of angiogenesis genes. BACH1 is stabilized by lowering ROS levels; consequently, angiogenesis gene expression in lung cancer cells, tumor organoids, and xenograft tumors increased substantially following administration of vitamins C and E and N-acetylcysteine in a BACH1-dependent fashion under normoxia. Moreover, angiogenesis gene expression increased in endogenous BACH1-overexpressing cells and decreased in SACH7-knockout cells in the absence of antioxidants. BACH1 levels also increased upon hypoxia and following administration of prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors in both HfF7A-knockout and WT cells. BACH1 was found to be a transcriptional target of HIF1[alpha], but BACH1's ability to stimulate angiogenesis gene expression was HIF1[alpha] independent. Antioxidants increased tumor vascularity in vivo in a BACH1- dependent fashion, and overexpressing BACH1 rendered tumors sensitive to antiangiogenesis therapy. BACH1 expression in tumor sections from patients with lung cancer correlated with angiogenesis gene and protein expression. We conclude that BACH1 is an oxygen- and redox-sensitive angiogenesis transcription factor.