Gene expression profiling data following HIF-1α or HIF-2α knockdown in SW1353 cells

Chondrosarcomas, malignant cartilaginous neoplasms, are capable of transitioning to highly aggressive, metastatic, and treatment-refractory states, resulting in significant patient mortality. We aimed to uncover the transcriptional program directing such tumor progression in chondrosarcomas. Here, we conducted weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) to extract a characteristic gene module underlying chondrosarcoma malignancy. We identified hypoxia-inducible factor-2α (HIF-2α, encoded by EPAS1) as an upstream regulator that governs the malignancy gene module. HIF-2α was upregulated in high grade chondrosarcoma biopsies and HIF-2α gene amplification was associated with the poor prognosis of patients with chondrosarcoma. Using tumor xenograft mouse models, we demonstrated that HIF-2α confers chondrosarcomas the capacities required for tumor growth, local invasion, and metastasis. Pharmacological inhibition of HIF-2α in conjunction with the chemotherapy agents synergistically enhanced chondrosarcoma cell apoptosis and abolished malignant signatures of chondrosarcoma in mice. We expect that our insights into the pathogenesis of chondrosarcoma will provide guidelines for the development of novel molecular-targeted therapeutics for chondrosarcoma. Gene expression profiling of SW1353 cells were transfected with HIF1A, EPAS1 siRNA or control siRNA. Three biological replicates were used for each group.