Induction of the plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 gene expression by mild hypoxia via a hypoxia response element binding the hypoxia-inducible factor-1 in rat hepatocytes. (25/3793)

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is the primary physiological inhibitor of both tissue-type and urokinase-type plasminogen activators. The balance between plasminogen activators and PAI-1 plays an important role in several physiological and pathophysiological processes such as atherosclerosis or thrombosis. Because these conditions are associated with hypoxia, it was the aim of the present study to investigate the influence of low O(2) tension on the expression of PAI-1 mRNA and protein using primary cultured rat hepatocytes as a model system. We found that PAI-1 mRNA and protein were induced by mild hypoxia (8% O(2)). The hypoxia-dependent PAI-1 mRNA induction was transcriptionally regulated because it was inhibited by actinomycin D (ActD). Luciferase (LUC) reporter gene constructs driven by about 800 bp of the 5'-flanking region of the rat PAI-1 gene were transiently transfected into primary rat hepatocytes; mild hypoxia caused a 3-fold induction, which was mediated by the PAI-1 promoter region -175/-158 containing 2 putative hypoxia response elements (HRE) binding the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF-1). Mutation of the HRE-1 (-175/-168) or HRE-2 (-165/-158) also abolished the induction by mild hypoxia. Cotransfection of a HIF-1alpha vector and the PAI-1-LUC constructs, as well as gel shift assays, showed that the HRE-2 of the PAI-1 promoter was most critical for induction by hypoxia and HIF-1 binding. Thus, PAI-1 induction by mild hypoxia via a HIF-1 binding HRE in the rat PAI-1 promoter appears to be the mechanism causing the increase in PAI-1 in many clinical conditions associated with O(2) deficiency.  (+info)

Redox-regulated recruitment of the transcriptional coactivators CREB-binding protein and SRC-1 to hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha. (26/3793)

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha (HIF-1alpha) functions as a transcription factor that is activated by decreased cellular oxygen concentrations to induce expression of a network of genes involved in angiogenesis, erythropoiesis, and glucose homeostasis. Here we demonstrate that two members of the SRC-1/p160 family of transcriptional coactivators harboring histone acetyltransferase activity, SRC-1 and transcription intermediary factor 2 (TIF2), are able to interact with HIF-1alpha and enhance its transactivation potential in a hypoxia-dependent manner. HIF-1alpha contains within its C terminus two transactivation domains. The hypoxia-inducible activity of both these domains was enhanced by either SRC-1 or the CREB-binding protein (CBP)/p300 coactivator. Moreover, at limiting concentrations, SRC-1 produced this effect in synergy with CBP. Interestingly, this effect was strongly potentiated by the redox regulatory protein Ref-1, a dual-function protein harboring DNA repair endonuclease and cysteine reducing activities. These data indicate that all three proteins, CBP, SRC-1, and Ref-1, are important components of the hypoxia signaling pathway and have a common function in regulation of HIF-1alpha function in hypoxic cells. Given the absence of cysteine residues in one of the Ref-1-regulated transactivation domains of HIF-1alpha, it is thus possible that Ref-1 functions in hypoxic cells by targeting critical steps in the recruitment of the CBP-SRC-1 coactivator complex.  (+info)

Differential signaling pathways of HO-1 gene expression in pulmonary and systemic vascular cells. (27/3793)

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is induced by oxidative stress and plays an important role in cellular protection against oxidant injury. Increasing evidence also suggests that HO-1 is markedly modulated by hypoxia in vitro and in vivo. Our group has previously demonstrated that the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1 mediates hypoxia-induced HO-1 gene transcription and expression in systemic (aortic) vascular smooth muscle (AoVSM) cells (P. J. Lee, B. -H. Jiang, B. Y. Chin, N. V. Iyer, J. Alam, G. L. Semenza, and A. M. K. Choi. J. Biol. Chem. 272: 5375-5381, 1997). Because the pulmonary circulation is an important target of hypoxia, this study investigated whether HO-1 gene expression in pulmonary arterial vascular smooth muscle was differentially regulated by hypoxia in comparison to AoVSM cells. Interestingly, hypoxia neither induced HO-1 gene expression nor increased HIF-1 DNA binding activity in pulmonary arterial vascular smooth muscle cells. Conversely, pulmonary arterial endothelial cells (PAECs) demonstrated a marked induction of HO-1 gene expression after hypoxia. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays detected an increase in activator protein-1 rather than in HIF-1 DNA binding activity in nuclear extracts of hypoxic PAECs. Analyses of the promoter and 5'-flanking regions of the HO-1 gene were performed by transiently transfecting PAECs with either the hypoxia response element (HIF-1 binding site) or the HO-1 gene distal enhancer element (AB1) linked to a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene. Increased chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity was observed only in transfectants containing the AB1 distal enhancer, and mutational analysis of this enhancer suggested that the activator protein-1 regulatory element was critical for hypoxia-induced HO-1 gene transcription. Collectively, our data demonstrate that the molecular regulation of HO-1 gene transcription during hypoxia differs between the systemic and pulmonary circulations and also provide evidence that hypoxia-induced HO-1 gene expression in PAECs and AoVSM cells is regulated through two discrete signaling pathways.  (+info)

Hypoxia response element of the human vascular endothelial growth factor gene mediates transcriptional regulation by nitric oxide: control of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 activity by nitric oxide. (28/3793)

Nitric oxide (NO) regulates production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) by normal and transformed cells. We demonstrate that NO donors may up-regulate the activity of the human VEGF promoter in normoxic human glioblastoma and hepatoma cells independent of a cyclic guanosine monophosphate-mediated pathway. Deletion and mutation analysis of the VEGF promoter indicates that the NO-responsive cis-elements are the hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) binding site and an adjacent ancillary sequence that is located immediately downstream within the hypoxia-response element (HRE). This work demonstrates that the HRE of this promoter is the primary target of NO. In addition, VEGF gene regulation by NO, as well as by hypoxia, is potentiated by the AP-1 element of the gene. Our study also reveals that NO and hypoxia induce an increase in HIF-1 binding activity and HIF-1alpha protein levels, both in the nucleus and the whole cell. These results suggest that there are common features of the NO and hypoxic pathways of VEGF induction, while in part, NO mediates gene transcription by a mechanism distinct from hypoxia. This is demonstrated by a difference in sensitivity to guanylate cyclase inhibitors and a different pattern of HIF-1 binding. These results show that there is a primary role for NO in the control of VEGF synthesis and in cell adaptations to hypoxia. (Blood. 2000;95:189-197)  (+info)

The function of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) is impaired in senescent mice. (29/3793)

Senescent organisms respond poorly to hypoxic stress. The transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) plays a critical role in the coordinated genetic program that is induced in all tissues to adapt to hypoxic stress by binding to a specific DNA hypoxia-responsive recognition element (HRE). This study was designed to address whether aging is associated with an alteration in HIF-1 production and function. Young and old mice were exposed to hypoxia for various lengths of time. We found a severe impairment in the capacity of the old animals to form a HIF-1-HRE complex. This attenuation in the capacity to form HIF-1-HRE complexes in senescent tissues may explain the decreased ability of such tissues to respond to hypoxic stress.  (+info)

Regulation of tumor angiogenesis by p53-induced degradation of hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha. (30/3793)

The switch to an angiogenic phenotype is a fundamental determinant of neoplastic growth and tumor progression. We demonstrate that homozygous deletion of the p53 tumor suppressor gene via homologous recombination in a human cancer cell line promotes the neovascularization and growth of tumor xenografts in nude mice. We find that p53 promotes Mdm2-mediated ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of the HIF-1alpha subunit of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1), a heterodimeric transcription factor that regulates cellular energy metabolism and angiogenesis in response to oxygen deprivation. Loss of p53 in tumor cells enhances HIF-1alpha levels and augments HIF-1-dependent transcriptional activation of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene in response to hypoxia. Forced expression of HIF-1alpha in p53-expressing tumor cells increases hypoxia-induced VEGF expression and augments neovascularization and growth of tumor xenografts. These results indicate that amplification of normal HIF-1-dependent responses to hypoxia via loss of p53 function contributes to the angiogenic switch during tumorigenesis.  (+info)

Carcinogenic nickel induces genes involved with hypoxic stress. (31/3793)

Carcinogenic nickel compounds alter the program of gene expression in normal cells and induce a pattern of gene expression similar to that found in nickel-induced cancers. Here we have demonstrated that nickel exposure induced hypoxic signaling pathways by inducing hypoxia-inducible transcription factor-1 (HIF-1), which mediated the induction of genes required by cells to survive hypoxia. We also show that a new gene, Cap43, is dependent upon HIF-1 because only HIF-1-proficient cells induced Cap43 when exposed to either hypoxia or nickel. We also show that glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, a gene induced by hypoxia through HIF-1, was similar to Cap43 in that it required HIF-1-proficient cells to be induced by either nickel or hypoxia. These data demonstrate that nickel exposure turns on signaling for hypoxic stress, which may be important in its carcinogenesis.  (+info)

Hypoxia induces hexokinase II gene expression in human lung cell line A549. (32/3793)

During adaptation to hypoxic and hyperoxic conditions, the genes involved in glucose metabolism are upregulated. To probe involvement of the transcription factor hypoxia-induced factor-1 (HIF-1) in hexokinase (HK) II expression in human pulmonary cells, A549 cells and small-airway epithelial cells (SAECs) were exposed to stimuli such as hypoxia, deferoxamine (DFO), and metal ions. The largest increase in HK-II (20-fold for mRNA and 2.5-fold for enzymatic activity) was observed in A549 cells when exposed to DFO. All stimuli selectively increased the 5.5-kb rather than 4-kb transcript in A549 cells. Cycloheximide and actinomycin D inhibited these responses. In addition, cells were transfected with luciferase reporter constructs driven by the full-length HK-II 5'-regulatory region (4.0 kb) or various deletions of that region. A549 cells transfected with the 4.0-kb construct and exposed to hypoxia or DFO increased their luciferase activity 7- and 10-fold, respectively, indicating that HK-II induction is, at least in part, due to increased gene transcription. Sixty percent of the inducible activity of the 4.0-kb construct was shown to reside within the proximal 0.5 kb. Additionally, cotransfection with a stable HIF-1 mutant and the 4.0-kb promoter construct resulted in increased luciferase activity under normoxic conditions. These results strongly suggest that HK-II is selectively regulated in pulmonary cells by a HIF-1-dependent mechanism.  (+info)