Mandibular osteotomy-induced hypoxia enhances osteoclast activation and acid secretion by increasing glycolysis

The rapid bone remodeling after osteotomy has been reported for a long time. However, the underlying mechanism promoting the active bone reconstruction was still to be elucidated. Since not only the bone, blood vessels, and supportive tissues, but also the local microenvironment were destroyed, if the changes on the cell metabolism was contributed to the accelerated bone remodeling came into sight. In present study, we found that the mandibular osteotomy in rabbit activated osteoclasts, as well as the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) in alveolar bone. Hypoxia or HIF-1α could enhanced osteoclastogenesis, bone absorption, and lactic acid concentration in receptor activator of nuclear factor κΒ ligand-induced RAW264.7 cells. Coincided with the upregulated HIF-1α expression, HIF-driven glycolytic enzymes, such as lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA), glucokinase (GCK), pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), and phosphofructokinase1 (PFK1), were found massively increased in both hypoxic RAW264.7 cells and the alveolar HIF-1α-positive osteoclasts after mandibular osteotomy. Knockdown of HIF-1α suppressed not only the hypoxia-mediated glycolysis, but also the hypoxia-induced acid secretion and bone resorption in RAW264.7 cells. Application of inhibitor on glycolysis gave rise to the similar results as HIF-1α knockdown. Our findings suggested that hypoxia-driven glycolysis in osteoclasts was an adaptive mechanism to permit alveolar bone remodeling after mandibular osteotomy.     

Energy metabolism transition in multi-cellular human tumor spheroids

It is thought that glycolysis is the predominant energy pathway in cancer, particularly in solid and poorly vascularized tumors where hypoxic regions develop. To evaluate whether glycolysis does effectively predominate for ATP supply and to identify the underlying biochemical mechanisms, the glycolytic and oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) fluxes, ATP/ADP ratio, phosphorylation potential, and expression and activity of relevant energy metabolism enzymes were determined in multi-cellular tumor spheroids, as a model of human solid tumors. In HeLa and Hek293 young-spheroids, the OxPhos flux and cytochrome c oxidase protein content and activity were similar to those observed in monolayer cultured cells, whereas the glycolytic flux increased two- to fourfold; the contribution of OxPhos to ATP supply was 60%. In contrast, in old-spheroids, OxPhos, ATP content, ATP/ADP ratio, and phosphorylation potential diminished 50-70%, as well as the activity (88%) and content (3 times) of cytochrome c oxidase. Glycolysis and hexokinase increased significantly (both, 4 times); consequently glycolysis was the predominant pathway for ATP supply (80%). These changes were associated with an increase (3.3 times) in the HIF-1alpha content. After chronic exposure, both oxidative and glycolytic inhibitors blocked spheroid growth, although the glycolytic inhibitors, 2-deoxyglucose and gossypol (IC(50) of 15-17 nM), were more potent than the mitochondrial inhibitors, casiopeina II-gly, laherradurin, and rhodamine 123 (IC(50) > 100 nM). These results suggest that glycolysis and OxPhos might be considered as metabolic targets to diminish cellular proliferation in poorly vascularized, hypoxic solid tumors.     

p53 Gene deficiency promotes hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension and vascular remodeling in mice

Chronic hypoxia induces pulmonary arterial remodeling, resulting in pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular hypertrophy. Hypoxia has been implicated as a physiological stimulus for p53 induction and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α). However, the subcellular interactions between hypoxic exposure and expression of p53 and HIF-1α remain unclear. To examine the role of p53 and HIF-1α expression on hypoxia-induced pulmonary arterial remodeling, wild-type (WT) and p53 knockout (p53KO) mice were exposed to either normoxia or hypoxia for 8 wk. Following chronic hypoxia, both genotypes demonstrated elevated right ventricular pressures, right ventricular hypertrophy as measured by the ratio of the right ventricle to the left ventricle plus septum weights, and vascular remodeling. However, the right ventricular systolic pressures, the ratio of the right ventricle to the left ventricle plus septum weights, and the medial wall thickness of small vessels were significantly greater in the p53KO mice than in the WT mice. The p53KO mice had lower levels of p21 and miR34a expression, and higher levels of HIF-1α, VEGF, and PDGF expression than WT mice following chronic hypoxic exposure. This was associated with a higher proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression of pulmonary artery in p53KO mice. We conclude that p53 plays a critical role in the mitigation of hypoxia-induced small pulmonary arterial remodeling. By interacting with p21 and HIF-1α, p53 may suppress hypoxic pulmonary arterial remodeling and pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cell proliferation under hypoxia.     

Persistent equine arteritis virus infection in HeLa cells

The horse-adapted virulent Bucyrus (VB) strain of equine arteritis virus (EAV) established persistent infection in high-passage-number human cervix cells (HeLa-H cells; passages 170 to 221) but not in low-passage-number human cervix cells (HeLa-L cells; passages 95 to 115) or in several other cell lines that were evaluated. However, virus recovered from the 80th passage of the persistently infected HeLa-H cells (HeLa-H-EAVP80) readily established persistent infection in HeLa-L cells. Comparative sequence analysis of the entire genomes of the VB and HeLa-H-EAVP80 viruses identified 16 amino acid substitutions, including 4 in the replicase (nsp1, nsp2, nsp7, and nsp9) and 12 in the structural proteins (E, GP2, GP3, GP4, and GP5). Reverse genetic studies clearly showed that substitutions in the structural proteins but not the replicase were responsible for the establishment of persistent infection in HeLa-L cells by the HeLa-H-EAVP80 virus. It was further demonstrated that recombinant viruses with substitutions in the minor structural proteins E and GP2 or GP3 and GP4 were unable to establish persistent infection in HeLa-L cells but that recombinant viruses with combined substitutions in the E (Ser53→Cys and Val55→Ala), GP2 (Leu15→Ser, Trp31→Arg, Val87→Leu, and Ala112→Thr), GP3 (Ser115→Gly and Leu135→Pro), and GP4 (Tyr4→His and Ile109→Phe) proteins or with a single point mutation in the GP5 protein (Pro98→Leu) were able to establish persistent infection in HeLa-L cells. In summary, an in vitro model of EAV persistence in cell culture was established for the first time. This system can provide a valuable model for studying virus-host cell interactions, especially virus-receptor interactions.     

Hypoxia promotes Chlamydia trachomatis L2/434/Bu growth in immortal human epithelial cells via activation of the PI3K-AKT pathway and maintenance of a balanced NAD+/NADH ratio

Chlamydia trachomatis LGV (CtL2) causes systemic infection and proliferates in lymph nodes as well as genital tract or rectum producing a robust inflammatory response, presumably leading to a low oxygen environment. We therefore assessed how CtL2 growth in immortal human epithelial cells adapts to hypoxic conditions. Assessment of inclusion forming units, the quantity of chlamydial 16S rDNA, and inclusion size showed that hypoxia promotes CtL2 growth. Under hypoxia, HIF-1α was stabilized and p53 was degraded in infected cells. Moreover, AKT was strongly phosphorylated at S473 by CtL2 infection. This activation was significantly diminished by LY-294002, a PI3K-AKT inhibitor, which decreased the number of CtL2 progeny. HIF-1α stabilizers (CoCl₂, desferrioxamine) had no effect on increasing CtL2 growth, indicating no autocrine impact of growth factors produced by HIF-1α stabilization. Furthermore, in normoxia, CtL2 infection changed the NAD⁺/NADH ratio of cells with increased gapdh expression; in contrast, under hypoxia, the NAD⁺/NADH ratio was the same in infected and uninfected cells with high and stable expression of gapdh, suggesting that CtL2-infected cells adapted better to hypoxia. Together, these data indicate that hypoxia promotes CtL2 growth in immortal human epithelial cells by activating the PI3K-AKT pathway and maintaining the NAD⁺/NADH ratio with stably activated glycolysis.     

Damage-associated molecular patterns in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis: potentially novel therapeutic targets

Albendazole (ABZ) has an anti-tumor ability and inhibits HIF-1α activity. HIF-1α is associated with glycolysis and vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) expression, which plays an important role in cancer progression. These clues indicate that ABZ exerts an anti-cancer effect by regulating glycolysis and VEGF expression. The aim of this study is to clarify the effects of ABZ on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells and explore the underlying molecular mechanisms. The expression levels of HIF-1α and VEGF were detected using western blot analysis, and the effect of ABZ on glycolysis was evaluated by measuring the relative activities of hexokinase (HK), pyruvate kinase (PK), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and detecting the production of lactate in A549 and H1299 cells. The results showed that ABZ decreased the expression levels of HIF-1α and VEGF and suppressed glycolysis in under hypoxia, but not normoxic condition. Inhibiting HIF-1α also suppressed glycolysis and VEGF expression. Additionally, ABZ inhibited the volume and weight, decreased the relative activities of HK, PK, and LDH, and reduced the levels of HIF-1α and VEGF of A549 xenografts in mouse models. In conclusion, ABZ inhibited growth of NSCLC cells by suppressing HIF-1α-dependent glycolysis and VEGF expression.     

Dexmedetomidine alleviates cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats via inhibition of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α

Dexmedetomidine (Dex) was reported to reduce ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in kidney and brain tissues. Thus, we aimed to study the role and mechanism of Dex in cerebral I/R injury by inhibiting hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and apoptosis. First, I/R injury models were established. Six groups were assigned after different treatments: sham, I/R, I/R+Dex, I/R+2-methoxyestradiol (2ME2) (HIF-1α inhibitor), I/R+CoCl ₂ (HIF-1α activator), and I/R+Dex+CoCl ₂ groups. Neurological function, cerebral infarction volume, survival, and apoptosis of brain cells were then analyzed. Besides, immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis were used to detect the expression of HIF-1α, BCL-2[B-cell leukemia/lymphoma 2] adenovirus E1B interacting protein 3 (BNIP3), B-cell leukemia/lymphoma 2 (BCL2), BCL2[B-cell leukemia/lymphoma 2] associated X (Bax), and cleaved-caspase3 proteins in brain tissues. I/R rats showed cerebral infarction, increased neurological function score, number of terminal-deoxynucleoitidyl transferase mediated nick end labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells and HIF-1α–positive cells as well as decreased neurons. Inhibition of HIF-1α can reduce the apoptosis induced by I/R, and overexpression of HIF-1α can aggravate apoptosis in brain tissue of I/R rats. Furthermore, activation of HIF-1α expression blocks the inhibitory effect of Dex on neuronal apoptosis in I/R rats. Dex may inhibit the neuronal apoptosis of I/R rats by inhibiting the HIF-1α pathway and then improve the cerebral I/R injury in rats.     

Chronic hypoxia alters mitochondrial composition in human macrophages

Hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs) are important mediators of the cellular adaptive response during acute hypoxia. The role of HIF-1 and HIF-2 during prolonged periods of hypoxia, i.e. chronic hypoxia is less defined. Therefore, we used human THP-1 macrophages with a knockdown of either HIF-1α, HIF-2α, or both HIFα-subunits, incubated them for several days under hypoxia (1% O₂), and analyzed responses to hypoxia using 2D-DIGE coupled to MS/MS-analysis. Chronic hypoxia was defined as a time point when the early but transient accumulation of HIFα-subunits and mRNA expression of classical HIF target genes returned towards basal levels, with a new steady state that was constant from 72 h onwards. From roughly 800 spots, that were regulated comparing normoxia to chronic hypoxia, about 100 proteins were unambiguously assigned during MS/MS-analysis. Interestingly, a number of glycolytic proteins were up-regulated, while a number of inner mitochondrial membrane proteins were down-regulated independently of HIF-1α or HIF-2α. Chronic hypoxic conditions depleted the mitochondrial mass by autophagy, which occurred independently of HIF proteins. Macrophages tolerate periods of chronic hypoxia very well and adaptive responses occur, at least in part, independently of HIF-1α and/or HIF-2α and comprise mitophagy as a pathway of particular importance.     

Hypoxia-inducible factor α subunit stabilization by NEDD8 conjugation is reactive oxygen species-dependent

Hypoxia-inducible factor α proteins (HIF-αs) are regulated oxygen dependently and transactivate numerous genes essential for cellular adaptation to hypoxia. NEDD8, a member of the ubiquitin-like family, covalently binds to its substrate proteins, and thus, regulates their stabilities and functions. In the present study, we examined the possibility that the HIF signaling is regulated by the neddylation. HIF-1α expression and activity were inhibited by knocking down APPBP1 E1 enzyme for NEDD8 conjugation but enhanced by ectopically expressing NEDD8. HIF-1α and HIF-2α were identified to be covalently modified by NEDD8. NEDD8 stabilized HIF-1α even in normoxia and further increased its level in hypoxia, which also occurred in von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) protein- or p53-null cell lines. The HIF-1α-stabilizing effect of NEDD8 was diminished by antioxidants and mitochondrial respiratory chain blockers. This suggests that the NEDD8 effect is concerned with reactive oxygen species driven from mitochondria rather than with the prolyl hydroxylase (PHD)/VHL-dependent oxygen-sensing system. Based on these findings, we propose that NEDD8 is an ancillary player to regulate the stability of HIF-1α. Furthermore, given the positive role played by HIF-αs in cancer promotion, the NEDD8 conjugation process could be a potential target for cancer therapy.     

Roles of Id1/HIF-1 and CDK5/HIF-1 in cell cycle reentry induced by amyloid-beta peptide in post-mitotic cortical neuron

One neurotoxic mechanism of amyloid-beta peptide (Aβ), the major component of senile plaques in the brains of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, is to trigger cell cycle reentry in fully differentiated neurons. However, the detailed underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Using Aβ25-35–treated primary rat cortical neurons as the experimental system, in the present study we tested whether Aβ-induced inhibitor of differentiation-1 (Id1)/hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1α) and cyclin-dependent kinase-5 (CDK5) contribute to cell cycle reentry in fully differentiated post-mitotic neurons. We found that Id1-induced HIF-1α mediated Aβ25-35–dependent expression of the cell cycle markers cyclin D1 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), both colocalized with microtubule-associated protein-2 (MAP-2) ⁺ cells, indicative of cell cycle reentry in the mature neurons. Aβ25-35 also enhanced p35 cleavage to p25 without affecting CDK5 expression. The CDK5 inhibitor roscovitine and the siRNA targeting CDK5 both suppressed Aβ25-35–dependent HIF-1α expression and cell cycle reentry. Intriguingly, Aβ25-35–induced Id1 repressed p25 production while CDK5/p25 reciprocally inhibited Id1 expression, despite the observation that both Id1 and CDK5/p25 acted upstream of HIF-1α. These results demonstrated that both Id1/HIF-1 and CDK5/HIF-1 contribute to Aβ-induced cell cycle reentry in post-mitotic neurons; furthermore, Id1 and CDK5/p25 reciprocally suppress expression of each other.