FT-IR spectral imaging of blood vessels reveals protein secondary structure deviations induced by tumor growth

Vascular basement membrane remodeling is involved in tumor angiogenesis to enable tumor invasion and growth. FT-IR spectral imaging was used to determine changes in tumor blood vessels to reveal protein secondary structure in Rag-gamma immuno-deficient mice sacrificed 14 and 21 days after subcutaneous glioma implantation. For the oldest blood capillaries (diameter > 20 microns), tumor growth induced a decrease in triple-helix content (1638 cm(-1); -7.3%; P < 0.05) and an increase in beta turns (1666 and 1615 cm(-1); +4%; P < 0.01). These protein-structure alterations, mainly from type IV collagen, reflected the high angiogenic stress of growing tumors. We propose to use these molecular markers of vascular basement membrane protein alterations for gradation of solid tumors by FT-IR spectral imaging.