Atypical induction of HIF-1α expression by pericellular Notch1 signaling suffices for the malignancy of glioblastoma multiforme cells

Contact-based pericellular interactions play important roles in cancer progression via juxtacrine signaling pathways. The present study revealed that hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), induced even in non-hypoxic conditions by cell-to-cell contact, was a critical cue responsible for the malignant characteristics of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cells through Notch1 signaling. Densely cultured GBM cells showed enhanced viability and resistance to temozolomide (TMZ) compared to GBM cells at a low density. Ablating Notch1 signaling by a γ-secretase inhibitor or siRNA transfection resensitized resistant GBM cells to TMZ treatment and decreased their viability under dense culture conditions. The expression of HIF-1α was significantly elevated in highly dense GBM cells even under non-hypoxic conditions. Atypical HIF-1α expression was associated with the Notch1 signaling pathway in both GBM and glioblastoma stem cells (GSC). Proteasomal degradation of HIF-1α was prevented by binding with Notch1 intracellular domain (NICD), which translocated to the nuclei of GBM cells. Silencing Notch1 signaling using a doxycycline-inducible Notch1 RNA-interfering system or treatment with chetomin, a HIF pathway inhibitor, retarded tumor development with a significant anti-cancer effect in a murine U251-xenograft model. Using GBM patient tissue microarray analysis, a significant increase in HIF-1α expression was identified in the group with Notch1 expression compared to the group without Notch1 expression among those with positive HIF-1α expression. Collectively, these findings highlight the critical role of cell-to-cell contact-dependent signaling in GBM progression. They provide a rationale for targeting HIF-1α signaling even in a non-hypoxic microenvironment. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00018-022-04529-2.