IGFBPs contribute to survival of pancreatic cancer cells under severely hypoxic conditions

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Protein synthesis in general is suppressed under hypoxic conditions in both cancer cells and normal cells. In human pancreatic cancer AsPC-1 cells, which are resistant to low oxygen tension, protein synthesis at day 4 under hypoxia (1% O 2) was about 20% of that under normoxia. Secretion of some proteins actually increased in spite of a general reduction in protein synthesis; two of these proteins were insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1) and IGFBP-3. Hypoxia also induced transcription of multiple IGFBPs. The IGFBPs contributed to reduced IGF signaling and to the survival of cancer cells under conditions of low oxygen tension.