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

Hypoxia and High Altitude

Increased erythropoietin plasma levels and the consequent augmented production of red blood cells is the best known systemic adaptation to reduced oxygen partial pressure (pO2). Intensive research during the last years revealed that the molecular mechanism behind the regulation of erythropoietin is ubiquitous and has far more implications than first thought. Erythropoietin regulation results from the activation of the hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) pathway under hypoxic conditions. HIF-1 is a heterodimer consisting of an oxygen sensitive--HIF-1--and an oxygen-independent subunit--HIF-1beta (also known as the aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator--ARNT). In addition to erythropoietin, more than 30 genes are now known to be up-regulated by HIF-1. Recently, the critical involvement of HIF-1alpha post-translational modifications in the cellular oxygen sensing mechanism was discovered. In this review we will focus on the regulation of the HIF-1 pathway and the cellular oxygen sensor and discuss their implications in high altitude hypoxia.

HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors regulate inflammatory transcription factors in human endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells

OBJECTIVE

Pleiotropic atheroprotective effects of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors may be mediated on the level of vascular gene transcription. The aim of this study was to characterize the effects of statins on the activation of transcription factors known to regulate inflammation and cell proliferation/differentiation.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Simvastatin, atorvastatin, and lovastatin (0.1 to 10 micro mol/L) inhibited the binding of nuclear proteins to both the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) and activator protein-1 (AP-1) DNA consensus oligonucleotides in human endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells as assessed by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). The inhibitory effects of statins on NF-kappaB or AP-1-dependent transcriptional activity were examined by transient transfection studies. HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors upregulated IkappaB-alpha protein levels in endothelial cells and decreased c-Jun mRNA expression in smooth muscle cells as analyzed by Western and Northern blotting, respectively. Furthermore, statins inhibited DNA binding of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha. Downstream effects of statins included inhibition of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor-A mRNA levels in endothelial cells.

CONCLUSIONS

HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors downregulate the activation of transcription factors NF-kappaB, AP-1, and hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha. These findings support the concept that statins have antiinflammatory and antiproliferative effects that are relevant in the treatment of atherosclerotic diseases.

Epithelial monolayer wounding stimulates binding of USF-1 to an E-box motif in the plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 gene

Several proteases and their co-expressed inhibitors modulate the interdependent processes of cell migration and matrix proteolysis during wound repair. Transcription of the gene encoding plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1), a serine protease inhibitor important in the control of barrier proteolysis and cell-to-matrix adhesion, is spatially-temporally regulated following epithelial denudation injury in vitro as well as in vivo. Using a well-defined culture model of acute epidermal wounding and reepithelialization, PAI-1 mRNA/protein synthesis was induced early after monolayer scraping and restricted to cells comprising the motile cohort. PAI-1 levels in locomoting cells remained elevated (relative to the distal, contact-inhibited monolayer regions) throughout the time course of trauma repair. Targeted PAI-1 downregulation by transfection of antisense PAI-1 expression constructs significantly impaired keratinocyte migration and monolayer scrape wound closure. Injury-induced PAI-1 transcription closely paralleled growth state-dependent controls on the PAI-1 gene. An E-box motif (CACGTG) in the PAI-1 proximal promoter (located at nucleotides -160 to -165), previously shown to be necessary for serum-induced PAI-1 expression, was bound by nuclear factors from wound-stimulated but not quiescent, contact-inhibited, keratinocytes. UV crosslinking approaches to identify E-box-binding factors coupled with deoxyoligonucleotide affinity chromatography and gel retardation assays confirmed at least one major E-box-binding protein in both serum- and wound-activated cells to be USF-1, a member of the helix-loop-helix family of transcription factors. An intact hexanucleotide E-box motif was necessary and sufficient for USF-1 binding using nuclear extracts from both serum- and wound-simulated cells. Two species of immunoreactive USF-1 were identified by western blotting of total cellular lysates that corresponded to the previously characterized phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated forms of the protein. USF-1 isolated by PAI-1 promoter-DNA affinity chromatography was almost exclusively phosphorylated. Only a fraction of the total cellular USF-1 in proliferating cultures, by comparison, was phosphorylated at any given time. PAI-1 E-box binding activity, assessed by probe mobility shift criteria, increased within 2 hours of monolayer scrape injury, a time frame consistent with wound-stimulated increases in PAI-1 transcription. Relative to intact cultures, scrape site-juxtaposed cells had significantly greater cytoplasmic and nuclear USF-1 immunoreactivity correlating with the specific in situ-restricted expression of PAI-1 transcripts/protein in the wound-edge cohort. USF-1 immunocytochemical staining declined significantly with increasing distance from the denudation site. These data are the first to indicate that binding of USF-1 to its target motif can be induced by 'tissue' injury in vitro and implicate USF-1 as a transcriptional regulator of genes (e.g. PAI-1) involved in wound repair.

Hypoxia-induced pathways in breast cancer

Hypoxia, a common consequence of solid tumor growth in breast cancer and other cancers, serves to propagate a cascade of molecular pathways which include angiogenesis, glycolysis, and alterations in microenvironmental pH. Hypoxia-inducible factors, heterodimeric DNA binding complexes composed of two subunits, provide critical regulation of this response. This review presents a synopsis of the genes induced by hypoxia in the context of breast cancer and discusses how upregulation of HIF-1 activity, and the homologous factor HIF-2, are not only fundamental for the adaptation to hypoxia but also may be critical for tumor progression.

Signal transduction to hypoxia-inducible factor 1

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) is a transcriptional activator that functions as a master regulator of O2 homeostasis. HIF-1 target genes encode proteins that increase O2 delivery and mediate adaptive responses to O2 deprivation. HIF-1 activity is regulated by the cellular O2 concentration and by the major growth factor-stimulated signal transduction pathways. In human cancer cells, both intratumoral hypoxia and genetic alterations affecting signal transduction pathways lead to increased HIF-1 activity, which promotes angiogenesis, metabolic adaptation, and other critical aspects of tumor progression.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 is an essential regulator of heart function

Cardiovascular diseases are predicted to be the most common cause of death worldwide by 2020. Here we show that angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ace2) maps to a defined quantitative trait locus (QTL) on the X chromosome in three different rat models of hypertension. In all hypertensive rat strains, ACE2 messenger RNA and protein expression were markedly reduced, suggesting that ace2 is a candidate gene for this QTL. Targeted disruption of ACE2 in mice results in a severe cardiac contractility defect, increased angiotensin II levels, and upregulation of hypoxia-induced genes in the heart. Genetic ablation of ACE on an ACE2 mutant background completely rescues the cardiac phenotype. But disruption of ACER, a Drosophila ACE2 homologue, results in a severe defect of heart morphogenesis. These genetic data for ACE2 show that it is an essential regulator of heart function in vivo.

A Forkhead/winged helix-related transcription factor mediates insulin-increased plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 gene transcription

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is an important regulator of fibrinolysis by its inhibition of both tissue-type and urokinase plasminogen activators. PAI-1 levels are elevated in type II diabetes and this elevation correlates with macro- and microvascular complications of diabetes. Insulin increases PAI-1 production in several experimental systems, but the mechanism of insulin-activated PAI-1 transcription remains to be determined. Deletion analysis of the PAI-1 promoter revealed that the insulin response element is between -117 and -7. Mutation of the AT-rich site at -52/-45 abolished the insulin responsiveness of the PAI-1 promoter. This sequence is similar to the inhibitory sequence found in the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylkinase/insulin-like growth factor-I-binding protein I promoters. Gel-mobility shift assays demonstrated that the forkhead bound to the PAI-1 promoter insulin response element. Expression of the DNA-binding domain of FKHR acted as a dominant negative to block insulin-increased PAI-1-CAT expression. A LexA-FKHR construct was also insulin responsive. These data suggested that a member of the Forkhead/winged helix family of transcription factors mediated the effect of insulin on PAI-1 transcription. Inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase reduced the effect of insulin on PAI-1 gene expression, a result consistent with activation through FKHR. However, it was likely that a different member of the FKHR family (not FKHR) mediated this effect since FKHR was present in both insulin-responsive and non-responsive cell lines.

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha accumulation in the brain after experimental intracerebral hemorrhage

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), a transcription factor composed of HIF-1alpha and HIF-1beta protein subunits, has been implicated in cellular protection and cell death in cerebral ischemia. The extent to which HIF-1 plays a role in brain pathology during intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is unknown. This study determined whether HIF-1alpha is upregulated at different time points in a rat model of ICH and the role of thrombin and red blood cell lysis in upregulation. Recently, thrombin has been implicated as a nonhypoxic regulator of HIF-1alpha in cultured smooth-muscle cells. Male Sprague-Dawley rats received intracerebral infusions of saline, autologous whole blood, blood plus hirudin, thrombin, thrombin plus hirudin, or lysed erythrocytes. Rats were killed at different time points for Western blot analysis, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescent double staining, and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction measurements of HIF-1alpha. HIF-1alpha protein levels increased without changing HIF-1alpha messenger RNA levels after intracerebral infusions of blood, thrombin, and lysed erythrocytes. HIF-1alpha positive cells, which proved to be neurons, were found in the brain after ICH. Hirudin, a specific thrombin inhibitor, reduced HIF-1alpha upregulation in response to both thrombin and blood. This study demonstrates that perihematomal HIF-1alpha protein is upregulated after ICH. This phenomenon is an early response of brain parenchyma to the clot. Thrombin and erythrocyte lysate are involved in HIF-1alpha upregulation through reducing HIF-1alpha degradation.

Expression pattern of the urokinase-plasminogen activator system in rat DS-sarcoma: role of oxygenation status and tumour size

The urokinase plasminogen activator system plays a central role in malignant tumour progression. Both tumour hypoxia and enhancement of urokinase plasminogen activator, urokinase plasminogen activator-receptor and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 have been identified as adverse prognostic factors. Upregulation of urokinase plasminogen activator or plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 could present means by which hypoxia influences malignant progression. Therefore, the impact of hypoxia on the expression pattern of the urokinase plasminogen activator system in rat DS-sarcoma in vivo and in vitro was examined. In the in vivo setting, tumour cells were implanted subcutaneously into rats, which were housed under either hypoxia, atmospheric air or hyperoxia. For in vitro studies, DS-sarcoma cells were incubated for 24 h under hypoxia. Urokinase plasminogen activator and urokinase plasminogen activator-receptor expression were analysed by flow cytometry. Urokinase plasminogen activator activity was measured using zymography. Plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 protein levels in vitro and in vivo were examined with ELISA. PAI-1 mRNA levels were determined by RT-PCR. DS-sarcoma cells express urokinase plasminogen activator, urokinase plasminogen activator-receptor, and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 in vitro and in vivo. The urokinase plasminogen activator activity is enhanced in DS-sarcomas compared to normal tissues and rises with increasing tumour volume. The oxygenation level has no impact on the urokinase plasminogen activator activity in cultured DS-sarcoma cells or in solid tumours, although in vitro an increase in plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 protein and mRNA expression after hypoxic challenge is detectable. The latter plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 changes were not detectable in vivo. Hypoxia has been demonstrated to contribute to the upregulation of some components of the system in vitro, although this effect was not reproducible in vivo. This may indicate that the serum level of plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 is not a reliable surrogate marker of tumour hypoxia.

Hypoxia enhances the expression of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 in human lung cancer cells, EBC-1

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is one of the target genes of hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha). Besides being an important physiological regulator of the fibrinolytic system PAI-1 is also involved in cancer invasiveness. HIF-1alpha is expressed in various types of pulmonary cells, but the relation of PAI-1 to HIF-1alpha under hypoxic condition in these cells are not fully elucidated. We, therefore, studied the effect of hypoxia on the expression of PAI-1 in a lung cancer cell line EBC-1. The expression of HIF-1alpha protein in EBC-1 cells was enhanced by hypoxia, and this was associated with increased secretion of PAI-1. Hypoxia did not affect the levels of HIF-1alpha mRNA but enhanced the PAI-1 mRNA. Pretreatment of the cells with MG132, which inhibits the proteasomal degradation of HIF-1alpha, increased the production of PAI-1 under both normoxia and hypoxia. We conclude that hypoxia induces PAI-1 expression, in EBC-1 cells, through the stabilization of HIF-1 complex and this may be related to cancer metastasis.

Identification of a tightly regulated hypoxia-response element in the promoter of human plasminogen activator inhibitor-1

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) plays a key role in control of coagulation and tissue remodeling and has been shown to be regulated by a number of cell stimuli, among those hypoxia. In this study we characterize the hypoxia-mediated induction of PAI-1 in human hepatoma cell line HepG2. We found that PAI-1 is tightly regulated in a narrow oxygen gradient. After incubation at oxygen concentrations of 1% to 2%, a 60-fold increase in PAI-1 messenger RNA levels was observed, whereas mild hypoxic conditions of more than 3.5% did not appear to induce transcription. Moreover, increased levels of PAI-1 protein were observed after incubation at low oxygen tensions. Through sequence analysis, several putative hypoxia-response elements (HREs 1-5) were identified in the human PAI-I promoter. Reporter gene assays showed that the HRE-2 (-194 to -187) was necessary and sufficient for the hypoxia-mediated response. By electrophoretic mobility assay we observed hypoxia-dependent binding of a protein complex to the HRE-2 motif. Further analysis demonstrated that HRE-2 was specifically recognized by the hypoxia-inducible transcription factor 1alpha-arylhydrocarbon nuclear translocator complex. Taken together, our data demonstrate that hypoxia-induced transcription is mediated through HIF-1 interaction with the HRE-2 site of the human PAI-1 promoter.

Reversible inhibition of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 activation by exposure of hypoxic cells to the volatile anesthetic halothane

Volatile anesthetics modulate a variety of physiological and pathophysiological responses including hypoxic responses. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) is a transcription factor that mediates cellular and systemic homeostatic responses to reduced O(2) availability in mammals, including erythropoiesis, angiogenesis, and glycolysis. We demonstrate for the first time that the volatile anesthetic halothane blocks HIF-1 activity and downstream target gene expressions induced by hypoxia in the human hepatoma-derived cell line, Hep3B. Halothane reversibly blocks hypoxia-induced HIF-1alpha protein accumulation and transcriptional activity at clinically relevant doses.

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1: oxygen homeostasis and disease pathophysiology

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) activates transcription of genes encoding proteins that mediate adaptive responses to reduced oxygen availability. The HIF-1beta subunit is constitutively expressed, whereas the HIF-1alpha subunit is subject to ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation, a process that is inhibited under hypoxic conditions. Recent data indicate that HIF-1 plays major roles in the prevention of myocardial and cerebral ischemia and in the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension and cancer. Modulation of HIF-1 activity by genetic or pharmacological means could provide a novel therapeutic approach to these common causes of mortality.

Thrombin activates the hypoxia-inducible factor-1 signaling pathway in vascular smooth muscle cells: Role of the p22(phox)-containing NADPH oxidase

The heterodimeric transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) is activated under hypoxic conditions, resulting in the upregulation of its target genes plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). PAI-1 and VEGF are also induced in response to vascular injury, which is characterized by the activation of platelets and the coagulation cascade as well as the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, it is not known whether HIF-1 is also stimulated by thrombotic factors. We investigated the role of thrombin, platelet-associated growth factors, and ROS derived from the p22(phox)-containing NADPH oxidase in the activation of HIF-1 and the induction of its target genes PAI-1 and VEGF in human vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Thrombin, platelet-derived growth factor-AB (PDGF-AB), and transforming growth factor-beta(1) (TGF-beta(1)) upregulated HIF-1alpha protein in cultured and native VSMCs. This response was accompanied by nuclear accumulation of HIF-1alpha as well as by increased HIF-1 DNA-binding and reporter gene activity. The thrombin-induced expression of HIF-1alpha, PAI-1, and VEGF was attenuated by antioxidant treatment as well as by transfection of p22(phox) antisense oligonucleotides. Inhibition of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase significantly decreased thrombin-induced HIF-1alpha, PAI-1, and VEGF expression. These findings demonstrate that the HIF-1 signaling pathway can be stimulated by thrombin and platelet-associated growth factors and that a redox-sensitive cascade activated by ROS derived from the p22(phox)-containing NADPH oxidase is crucially involved in this response.

Cross-talk between the signals hypoxia and glucose at the glucose response element of the L-type pyruvate kinase gene

The signals oxygen and glucose play an important role in metabolism, angiogenesis, tumorigenesis, and embryonic development. Little is known about an interaction of these two signals. We demonstrate here the cross-talk between oxygen and glucose in the regulation of L-type pyruvate kinase (L-PK) gene expression in the liver. In the liver the periportal to perivenous drop in O(2) tension was proposed to be an endocrine key regulator for the zonated gene expression. In primary rat hepatocyte cultures the expression of the L-PK gene on mRNA and on protein level was induced by venous pO(2), whereas its glucose-dependent induction occurred predominantly under arterial pO(2). It was shown by transient transfection of L-PK promoter luciferase and glucose response element (Glc(PK)RE) SV40 promoter luciferase gene constructs that the modulation by O(2) of the glucose-dependent induction occurred at the Glc(PK)RE in the L-PK gene promoter. The reduction of the glucose-dependent induction of the L-PK gene expression under venous pO(2) appeared to be mediated via an interference between hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) and upstream stimulating factor at the Glc(PK)RE. The glucose response element also functioned as an hypoxia response element which was confirmed in cotransfection assays with Glc(PK)RE luciferase gene constructs and HIF-1alpha expression vectors. Furthermore, it was found by gel shift and supershift assay that HIF-1alpha and USF-1 or USF-2 could bind to the Glc(PK)RE. Our findings implicate that the cross-talk between oxygen and glucose might have a fundamental role in the regulation of several physiological and pathophysiological processes.

The upstream stimulatory factor-2a inhibits plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 gene expression by binding to a promoter element adjacent to the hypoxia-inducible factor-1 binding site

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) expression is induced by hypoxia (8% O(2)) via the PAI-1 promoter region -175/-159 containing a hypoxia response element (HRE-2) binding the hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) and an adjacent response element (HRE-1) binding a so far unknown factor. The aim of the present study was to identify this factor and to investigate its role in the regulation of PAI-1 expression. It was found by supershift assays that the upstream stimulatory factor-2a (USF-2a) bound mainly to the HRE-1 of the PAI-1 promoter and to a lesser extent to HRE-2. Overexpression of USF-2a inhibited PAI-1 messenger RNA and protein expression and activated L-type pyruvate kinase expression in primary rat hepatocytes under normoxia and hypoxia. Luciferase (Luc) gene constructs driven by 766 and 276 base pairs of the 5'-flanking region of the PAI-1 gene were transfected into primary hepatocytes together with expression vectors encoding wild-type USF-2a and a USF-2a mutant lacking DNA binding and dimerization activity (DeltaHU2a). Cotransfection of the wild-type USF-2a vector reduced Luc activity by about 8-fold, whereas cotransfection of DeltaHU2a did not influence Luc activity. Mutation of the HRE-1 (-175/-168) in the PAI-1 promoter Luc constructs decreased USF-dependent inhibition of Luc activity. Mutation of the HRE-2 (-165/-158) was less effective. Cotransfection of a HIF-1alpha vector could compete for the binding of USF at HRE-2. These results indicated that the balance between 2 transcriptional factors, HIF-1 and USF-2a, which can bind adjacent HRE sites, appears to be involved in the regulation of PAI-1 expression in many clinical conditions.

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1: control of oxygen homeostasis in health and disease

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) is a transcriptional activator that mediates changes in gene expression in response to changes in cellular oxygen concentrations. HIF-1 is a heterodimer consisting of an oxygen-regulated HIF-1 alpha subunit and a constitutively expressed HIF-1 beta subunit. In mice, complete HIF-1 alpha deficiency results in embryonic lethality at midgestation because of cardiac and vascular malformations. Analyses of animal and cell culture models as well as human tissue have provided evidence that HIF-1 plays important roles in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia, intrauterine growth retardation, hypoxia-mediated pulmonary hypertension, and cancer. HIF-1 promotes neovascularization in response to myocardial or retinal ischemia by activating transcription of the gene encoding vascular endothelial growth factor. HIF-1 may also mediate the protective response to cerebral ischemia known as late-phase preconditioning.

Oxygen modulates the release of urokinase and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 by retinal pigment epithelial cells

The aims of this study were to examine the effect of oxygen, in the presence or absence of exogenous growth factors, on the release of plasminogen activators and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 by cultured human retinal pigment epithelial cells. Antigen and activity levels of urokinase, tissue plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor were measured in conditioned media after cells were exposed to three different oxygen environments: hypoxia, normoxia and hyperoxia. Overall proteolytic balance was determined by zymography. The effects of exogenous basic fibroblast growth factor and transforming growth factor-beta were also examined. it was found that retinal pigment epithelial cells released urokinase, tissue plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor in measurable quantities. After 48 h, urokinase levels were highest at normoxia, reaching 7.2ng/10(6) cells (+/-2.0 SEM), whereas plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 levels were highest at hyperoxia, reaching 67.5ng/10(6) cells (+/-3.7 SEM). Tissue plasminogen activator levels were minimal (<0.5ng/10(6) cells) and unaffected by both oxygen and growth factors. Overall proteolytic activity was also greatest at normoxia. Fibroblast growth factor stimulated urokinase production dose-dependently, but plasminogen activator inhibitor only minimally. Transforming growth factor-beta stimulated plasminogen activator inhibitor production dose-dependently but urokinase only at higher concentrations. These results suggest that both oxygen tension and growth factors may interact to modulate the proteolytic properties of the human retinal pigment epithelium.

The sequential activation and repression of the human PDGF-B gene during chronic hypoxia reveals antagonistic roles for the depletion of oxygen and glucose

Hypoxia and glucose deprivation, are important during many physiological and pathological processes. Cells respond to these stimuli by activating genes involved in the regulation of metabolism and angiogenesis. Platelet derived growth factor-B (PDGF-B) is involved in the regulation of angiogenesis and tumour progression and is induced by hypoxia. Most known hypoxia-induced genes are activated by the hypoxia inducible factor (HIF-1), via its binding to specific response elements. The mechanism of hypoxic induction and the effect of low glucose on PDGF-B expression have not been characterised. We show that PDGF-B exhibits a novel, biphasic regulation (induction, followed by repression below basal levels) in bladder carcinoma cells cultured under chronic hypoxia. We show that the repression observed after long-term hypoxia is due to glucose-depletion and that this can also abrogate short-term hypoxic induction. This is in contrast to the previous results showing that hypoxia/hypoglycaemia elicit the same response. We also show that a putative hypoxia response element in the PDGF-B promoter is not sufficient for hypoxic induction, although it does function as a hypoxia independent enhancer element in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Nickel-induced plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 expression inhibits the fibrinolytic activity of human airway epithelial cells

One cause of debilitating pulmonary fibrosis is inhalation of insoluble metals. Human epidemiological and animal studies have associated inhalation of nickel dusts with increased incidence of pulmonary fibrosis. However, specific mechanisms for nickel-induced pulmonary fibrosis have yet to be elucidated. The current studies examine the hypothesis that particulate nickel promotes pulmonary fibrosis by inhibiting the fibrinolytic cascade. Since the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) initiates this cascade, this hypothesis was tested by investigating the effects of noncytotoxic levels of nickel subsulfide on the balance of uPA expression relative to expression of its inhibitor, PAI-1, in cultured human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B). Exposure to the metal decreased secreted uPA protein levels and activity without affecting uPA mRNA levels. In contrast, these same exposures stimulated transcription of PAI-1, causing prolonged increases in both mRNA and protein levels. Despite partial recovery of uPA protein levels, uPA activity remained depressed for more than 48 h after exposure to nickel due to the continued increase in PAI-1 expression. These data indicate that particulate nickel inhibits the fibrinolytic cascade by increasing the ratio of plasminogen inhibitor to activator. Sustained loss of uPA activity may contribute to nickel-induced pulmonary fibrosis in exposed populations.

Hypoxia, clonal selection, and the role of HIF-1 in tumor progression

Tumor progression occurs as a result of the clonal selection of cells in which somatic mutations have activated oncogenes or inactivated tumor suppressor genes leading to increased proliferation and/or survival within the hypoxic tumor microenvironment. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) is a transcription factor that mediates adaptive responses to reduced O2 availability, including angiogenesis and glycolysis. Expression of the O2-regulated HIF-1alpha subunit and HIF-1 transcriptional activity are increased dramatically in hypoxic cells. Recent studies indicate that many common tumor-specific genetic alterations also lead to increased HIF-1alpha expression and/or activity. Thus, genetic and physiologic alterations within tumors act synergistically to increase HIF-1 transcriptional activity, which appears to play a critical role in the development of invasive and metastatic properties that define the lethal cancer phenotype.

Mammalian oxygen sensing, signalling and gene regulation

Oxygen is essential to the life of all aerobic organisms. Virtually every cell type is able to sense a limited oxygen supply (hypoxia) and specifically to induce a set of oxygen-regulated genes. This review summarizes current concepts of mammalian oxygen-sensing and signal-transduction pathways. Since the discovery of the hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs), a great deal of progress has been made in our comprehension of how hypoxia induces the expression of oxygen-regulated genes. The alpha subunit of the heterodimeric transcription factors HIF-1, 2 and 3 is unstable under normoxia but is rapidly stabilized upon exposure to hypoxic conditions. Following heterodimerization with the constitutively expressed beta subunit, HIFs activate the transcription of an increasing number of genes involved in maintaining oxygen homeostasis at the cellular, local and systemic levels.