The prolyl 4-hydroxylase inhibitor ethyl-3,4-dihydroxybenzoate generates effective iron deficiency in cultured cells

Ethyl-3,4-dihydroxybenzoate (EDHB) is commonly utilized as a substrate analog and competitive inhibitor of prolyl 4-hydroxylases. These iron-dependent enzymes have received a lot of attention for their involvement in crucial biochemical pathways such as collagen maturation and oxygen sensing. Since EDHB is also capable of chelating the enzyme-bound iron, we study here its function as a chelator. We show that the affinity of EDHB for ferric iron is significantly lower than that of desferrioxamine. Nevertheless, EDHB is sufficient to promote effective iron deficiency in cells, reflected in the activation of the iron-responsive element/iron regulatory protein regulatory network. Thus, treatment of B6 fibroblasts with EDHB results in slow activation of iron regulatory protein 1 accompanied by an increase in transferrin receptor levels and reduction of the ferritin pool.     

Hypoxia Induces Transforming Growth Factor-β1 Gene Expression in the Pulmonary Artery of Rats via Hypoxia-inducible Factor-1α

The present study was undertaken to investigate the dynamic expression of hypoxia induciblefactor-1 α (HIF-1α) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertensionof rats.It was found that mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) increased significantly after 7 d ofhypoxia.Pulmonary artery remodeling index and right ventricular hypertrophy became evident after 14 d ofhypoxia.HIF-1α mRNA staining was less positive in the control,hypoxia for 3 d and hypoxia for 7 d,butbegan to enhance significantly after 14 d of hypoxia,then remained stable.Expression of HIF-1 α protein inthe control was less positive,but was up-regulated in pulmonary arterial tunica intima of all hypoxic rats.TGF-β1 mRNA expression in pulmonary arterial walls was increased significantly after 14 d of hypoxia, butshowed no obvious changes after 3 or 7 d of hypoxia.In pulmonary tunica adventitia and tunica media,TGF-β1 protein staining was less positive in control rats,but was markedly enhanced after 3 d of hypoxia,reaching its peak after 7 d of hypoxia,and then weakening after 14 and 21 d of hypoxia.Western blottingshowed that HIF- 1α protein levels increased significantly after 7 d of hypoxia and then remained at a highlevel. TGF-β1 protein level was markedly enhanced after 3 d of hypoxia,reaching its peak after 7 d ofhypoxia,and then decreasing after 14 and 21 d of hypoxia.Linear correlation analysis showed that HIF-1αmRNA, TGF-β1 mRNA, TGF-β1 protein were positively correlated with mPAP,vessel morphometry andright ventricular hypertrophy index.TGF-β1 protein (tunica adventitia) was negatively correlated withHIF-lα mRNA.Taken together,our results suggest that changes in HIF-lα and TGF-β1 expression afterhypoxia play an important role in hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension of rats.     

Cobalt chloride-induced estrogen receptor alpha down-regulation involves hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells

The estrogen receptor (ER) is down-regulated under hypoxia via a proteasome-dependent pathway. We studied the mechanism of ERalpha degradation under hypoxic mimetic conditions. Cobalt chloride-induced ERalpha down-regulation was dependent on the expression of newly synthesized protein(s), one possibility of which was hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha). To examine the role of HIF-1alpha expression in ERalpha down-regulation under hypoxic-mimetic conditions, we used a constitutively active form of HIF-1alpha, HIF-1alpha/herpes simplex viral protein 16 (VP16), constructed by replacing the transactivation domain of HIF-1alpha with that of VP16. Western blot analysis revealed that HIF-1alpha/VP16 down-regulated ERalpha in a dose-dependent manner via a proteasome-dependent pathway. The kinase pathway inhibitors PD98059, U0126, wortmannin, and SB203580 did not affect the down-regulation. A mammalian two-hybrid screen and immunoprecipitation assays indicated that ERalpha interacted with HIF-1alpha physically. These results suggest that ERalpha down-regulation under hypoxia involves protein-protein interactions between the ERalpha and HIF-1alpha.     

cis-4-Hydroxy-L-proline and ethyl-3,4-dihydroxybenzoate prevent myogenesis of C2C12 muscle cells and block MyoD1 and myogenin expression.

cis-4-Hydroxy-L-proline (cis-OH-Pro) and ethyl-3,4-dihydroxybenzoate (EDHB), two distinct inhibitors of collagen synthesis, prevented myogenesis in C2C12 mouse skeletal muscle cells. Both inhibitors blocked myotube formation and the expression of sarcomeric myosin heavy chain. Northern blot analysis showed that cis-OH-Pro- and EDHB-treated C2C12 muscle cells did not express the myogenic regulatory genes, MyoD1 and myogenin, but continued to express non-muscle isoforms of actin (beta and gamma) and alpha-tropomyosin. 10TFL2-3B cells, a C3H10T1/2 cell line permanently transfected with myogenin cDNA, constitutively expressed exogenous myogenin in the presence of cis-OH-Pro but failed to activate endogenous myogenin and to undergo myogenesis. These results demonstrate that commitment to terminal differentiation and activation of myogenic regulatory genes requires active synthesis of the extracellular matrix component collagen.     

Cobalt induces heme oxygenase-1 expression by a hypoxia-inducible factor-independent mechanism in Chinese hamster ovary cells: regulation by Nrf2 and MafG transcription factors

We have shown previously that activation of the heme oxygenase-1 (ho-1) gene by hypoxia in aortic smooth muscle cells is mediated by hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1). In mutant (Ka13) Chinese hamster ovary cells lacking HIF activity, accumulation of ho-1 mRNA in response to hypoxia and the hypoxia-mimetic CoCl(2) was similar to that observed in wild type (K1) cells. These results support the existence of HIF-dependent and HIF-independent mechanisms for ho-1 gene activation by hypoxia and CoCl(2). In Ka13 cells, CoCl(2) stimulated expression of a luciferase reporter gene under the control of a 15-kilobase pair mouse ho-1 promoter (pHO15luc). Mutation analyses identified the cobalt-responsive sequences as the stress-response elements (StREs). In electrophoretic mobility shift assays, two specific StRE-protein complexes were observed using extracts from Ka13 cells. In response to cobalt, the level of the slower migrating complex X increased, whereas that of complex Y decreased, in a time-dependent manner. Members of the AP-1 superfamily of basic-leucine zipper factors bind to the StRE. Antibody supershift electrophoretic mobility shift assays did not detect Jun, Fos, or ATF/CREB proteins but identified Nrf2 and the small Maf protein, MafG, as components of complex X. Furthermore, dominant-negative mutants of Nrf2 and small Maf, but not of other bZIP factors, attenuated cobalt-mediated gene activation. Additional experiments demonstrated that induction by cobalt does not result from increased expression of MafG or regulated nuclear translocation of Nrf2 but is dependent on cellular oxidative stress. Unlike cobalt, hypoxia did not stimulate pHO15luc expression and did not increase StRE binding activity, indicating distinct mechanisms for ho-1 gene activation by cobalt and hypoxia in Chinese hamster ovary cells.