ARTICLE ABSTRACT
Inactivation of the von-Hippel Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor gene occurs in 90% of human clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCC) and leads to the stable expression of the hypoxia-inducible factors HIF1α and HIF2α. The constitutive expression of HIF1α in a majority of VHL-deficient tumors is counterintuitive, given that HIF1α functions as a tumor suppressor in ccRCC, whereas HIF2α clearly enhances tumor growth. We demonstrate here that miR-30c-2-3p and miR-30a-3p specifically bind and inhibit expression of HIF2A transcripts, and that the locus encoding miR-30c-2-3p and miR-30a-3p is selectively repressed in “H1H2” VHL-deficient tumors expressing both HIF1α and HIF2α proteins. Inhibiting miR-30a-3p expression increases HIF2α levels in H1H2 ccRCC cells and promotes cellular proliferation, angiogenesis, and xenograft tumor growth. Our results indicate that miR-30c-2-3p and miR-30a-3p repression enhances HIF2α expression and suggests a mechanism whereby the tumor-suppressive effects of constitutive HIF1α expression are attenuated in VHL-deficient H1H2 tumors.Significance: HIF1α is constitutively expressed in a majority of VHL-deficient ccRCCs, despite its tumor suppressor activity in these malignancies. This study demonstrates that repression of miR-30c-2-3p/miR-30a-3p increases HIF2α levels to promote tumor growth, thereby ameliorating the inhibitory effects of HIF1α in ccRCCs. Cancer Discov; 4(1); 53–60. ©2013 AACR.See related commentary by Moch and Lukamowicz-Rajska, p. 22This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 1
