The zinc chelator, N,N,N′,N′-tetrakis (2-pyridylmethyl) ethylenediamine, increases the level of nonfunctional HIF-1α protein in normoxic cells

Procaspase-3-activating compound 1 stabilizes hypoxia-inducible factor 1α and induces DNA damage by sequestering ferrous iron

Procaspase-3-activating compound 1 (PAC-1) induces procaspase-3 activation via zinc chelation. However, whether PAC-1 employs other mechanisms remains unknown. Here we systematically screened for potent PAC-1 targets using 29 enhanced green fluorescent protein-labeled reporter cell lines and identified hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α) and RAD51 pathways as PAC-1 targets. These results were verified in HepG2 cells and two other cancer cell lines. Mechanistically, PAC-1 specifically blocked HIF1α hydroxylation and upregulated HIF1α target genes. In addition, DNA damage, G1/S cell cycle arrest, and the inhibition of DNA synthesis were induced following PAC-1 administration. Interestingly, by using ferrozine-iron sequestration and iron titration assays, we uncovered the iron sequestering capacity of PAC-1. Additionally, the expression levels of iron shortage-related genes were also increased in PAC-1-treated cells, and iron (II) supplementation reversed all of the observed cellular responses. Thus, our results indicate that PAC-1 induces HIF1α stabilization and DNA damage by sequestering ferrous iron.

Effects of Oxygen Availability on Oxidative Stress Biomarkers in the Mediterranean Mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis

In aquatic environments, hypoxia and oxygen-deficient areas are increasing worldwide. Transitions in oxygen levels can influence the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), eventually leading to oxidative stress. The transcriptional response of oxidative stress biomarkers was evaluated by qPCR in gill tissue from Mytilus galloprovincialis experimentally subjected to 48-h air exposure followed by 48-h re-oxygenation, as compared to normoxic control mussels. Superoxide dismutases (CuZnsod and Mnsod), catalase (cat), and glutathione S-transferase (gst) were over-expressed early after 8-h air exposure and returned to normoxic levels during re-oxygenation. Moreover, the mRNAs and protein expression patterns of heat shock proteins (HSP70 and HSP90) and metallothioneins (MT-10 and MT-20) were modulated by oxygen availability with increased levels during re-oxygenation suggesting the participation of these cytoprotective mechanisms in the physiological oxidative stress response when oxygen concentration was restored. Overall, the observed modulation of the oxidative stress-related and general stress genes indicates that M. galloprovincialis responds to changes in oxygen availability enhancing the antioxidant potential under low oxygen conditions for dealing with the oxidative burst during future re-oxygenation. The present investigation brings further insights in understanding how intertidal molluscs cope with short-term oxygen variations and gives useful biomarkers for environmental monitoring of hypoxic areas that are predicted to occur in the next future.

Recent Advances in Developing Inhibitors for Hypoxia-Inducible Factor Prolyl Hydroxylases and Their Therapeutic Implications

Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) prolyl hydroxylases (PHDs) are members of the 2-oxoglutarate dependent non-heme iron dioxygenases. Due to their physiological roles in regulation of HIF-1α stability, many efforts have been focused on searching for selective PHD inhibitors to control HIF-1α levels for therapeutic applications. In this review, we first describe the structure of PHD2 as a molecular basis for structure-based drug design (SBDD) and various experimental methods developed for measuring PHD activity. We further discuss the current status of the development of PHD inhibitors enabled by combining SBDD approaches with high-throughput screening. Finally, we highlight the clinical implications of small molecule PHD inhibitors.

Catalytic mechanism and substrate specificity of HIF prolyl hydroxylases

This review describes the catalytic mechanism, substrate specificity, and structural peculiarities of alpha-ketoglutarate dependent nonheme iron dioxygenases catalyzing prolyl hydroxylation of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF). Distinct localization and regulation of three isoforms of HIF prolyl hydroxylases suggest their different roles in cells. The recent identification of novel substrates other than HIF, namely β2-adrenergic receptor and the large subunit of RNA polymerase II, places these enzymes in the focus of drug development efforts aimed at development of isoform-specific inhibitors. The challenges and prospects of designing isoform-specific inhibitors are discussed.

Hypoxia-induced transcription of dopamine D3 and D4 receptors in human neuroblastoma and astrocytoma cells

Background

Dopaminergic pathways that influence mood and behaviour are severely affected in cerebral hypoxia. In contrast, hypoxia promotes the differentiation of dopaminergic neurons. In order to clarify the hypoxic sensitivity of key dopaminergic genes, we aimed to study their transcriptional regulation in the context of neuroblastoma and astrocytoma cell lines exposed to 1% hypoxia.

Results

Quantitative RT-PCR assays revealed that the transcription of both type D3 and D4 postsynaptic dopamine receptors (DRD3 and DRD4) was induced several fold upon 2-day hypoxia in a cell-specific manner, while the vascular endothelial growth factor gene was activated after 3-hr incubation in hypoxia. On the other hand, mRNA levels of type 2 dopamine receptor, dopamine transporter, monoamino oxidase and catechol-O-methyltransferase were unaltered, while those of the dopamine receptor regulating factor (DRRF) were decreased by hypoxia. Notably, 2-day hypoxia did not result in elevation of protein levels of DRD3 and DRD4.

Conclusion

In light of the relatively delayed transcriptional activation of the DRD3 and DRD4 genes, we propose that slow-reacting hypoxia sensitive transcription factors might be involved in the transactivation of DRD3 and DRD4 promoters in hypoxia.

Microarray analyses of hypoxia-regulated genes in an aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (Arnt)-dependent manner

We investigated hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-dependent changes in the expression of 5592 genes in response to hypoxia (0.1% O(2), 16 h) by performing cDNA microarray analyses of mouse hepa1c1c7 and BpRc1 cells. BpRc1 cells are a hepa1c1c7 variant defective in HIF-beta/aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (Arnt), and are therefore unable to induce HIF target genes in response to hypoxia. By comparing hepa1c1c7 cells with BpRc1 cells, we were able to investigate hypoxia-regulated gene expression as well as the role played by HIF in regulating the hypoxic-dependent response of gene expression. This study identified 50 hypoxia-induced genes and 36 hypoxia-repressed genes. Quantitative PCR analysis of nine genes confirmed our ability to accurately analyze changes in hypoxia-induced gene expression by microarray analysis. By comparing quantitative PCR analyses of these nine genes in BpRc1 and hepa1c1c7 cells, we determined that eight of the nine hypoxia-induced genes are Arnt dependent. Additional quantitative PCR analyses of eight hypoxia-repressed genes confirmed, with a 50% probability, that microarray analysis was able to predict hypoxia-repressed gene expression. Only two of the four confirmed genes were found to be repressed in an Arnt-dependent manner. Collectively, six of these 13 genes (46.2% probability) showed a pattern of expression consistent with the microarray analysis with regard to Arnt dependence. Finally, we investigated the HIF-1alpha dependence of these 13 genes by quantitative PCR analysis in HIF-1alpha knockdown 3T3-L1 cells. These analyses identified novel hypoxia-regulated genes and confirmed the role of Arnt and HIF-1alpha in regulating their expression. These results identify additional HIF target genes and provide a more complete understanding of hypoxia signaling.

Nitric oxide donor, (+/-)-S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine, stabilizes transactive hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha by inhibiting von Hippel-Lindau recruitment and asparagine hydroxylation

We have confirmed that the NO donor (+/-)-S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP) stabilizes the transactive form of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha), leading to the induction of HIF-1alpha target genes such as vascular endothelial growth factor and carbonic anhydrase 9. Activation of HIF-1alpha should require inhibition of the dual system that keeps it inactive. One is ubiquitination, which is triggered by hydroxylation of HIF-1alpha-proline and the subsequent binding of E3 ubiquitin ligase, the von Hippel Lindau (VHL) protein. The other is hydroxylation of HIF-1alpha-asparagine, which reduces the affinity of HIF-1alpha for its coactivator, cAMP responsive element binding protein/p300. We examined the effects of the NO donor SNAP on proline and asparagine hydroxylation of HIF-1alpha peptides by measuring the activities of the corresponding enzymes, HIF-1alpha-specific proline hydroxylase 2 (PHD2) and the HIF-1alpha-specific asparagine hydroxylase, designated factor inhibiting HIF-1alpha (FIH-1), respectively. We found that the SNAP did not prevent PHD2 from hydroxylating the proline of HIF-1alpha. Instead, it blocked the interaction between VHL and the proline-hydroxylated HIF-1alpha, but only when the reducing agents Fe(II) and vitamin C were limiting. The fact that the absence of cysteine 520 of HIF-1alpha abolishes its responsiveness to SNAP suggests that this residue mediates the inhibition by SNAP of the interaction between VHL and HIF-1alpha, presumably by S-nitrosylation of HIF-1alpha. Un-like PHD2, asparagine hydroxylation by FIH-1 was directly inhibited by SNAP, but again only when reducing agents were limiting. Substitution of cysteine 800 of HIF-1alpha with alanine failed to reverse the inhibitory effects of SNAP on asparagine hydroxylation, implying that FIH-1, not its substrate HIF-1alpha, is inhibited by SNAP.

HIF-1alpha promotes survival of prostate cells at a high zinc environment

BACKGROUND

The prostate contains extremely high concentrations of zinc, which may be required for male reproduction. Although zinc is essential for many cellular functions, excessive zinc induces cellular toxicity in general. However, despite exposure to high zinc environment, prostate cells survive and proliferate. Thus, the aim of this study was to identify the intrinsic molecular species that endow prostate cells with the ability to overcome zinc toxicity.

METHODS

Immunohistochemistry, histofluorescent zinc staining, Western blot, in vitro binding assay, immunoprecipitation, caspase activity assay, and proteasome activity assay.

RESULTS

In rat and human prostates, HIF-1alpha was found to be robustly expressed in epithelial layers containing high zinc levels. Moreover, in cultured prostate cells, HIF-1alpha expression was zinc-dependently induced even under normoxic conditions. Mechanistically, zinc ions inhibited HIF-1-prolyl hydroxylase (PHD) activity, and therefore blocked von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor protein (pVHL) binding to HIF-1alpha in vivo and in vitro. The HIF-1alpha stabilization was mediated by oxidative stress induced by zinc ion. Even when prostate cells were treated with high concentrations of zinc ion for extended times, only 10% of cells showed apoptotic death. However, this population of apoptotic cells was increased threefold after HIF-1alpha was knocked-down by siRNA.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that HIF-1alpha functions as an intrinsic defense molecule that enables prostate cells to survive in a zinc-rich environment.

Identification and characterization of a major Zn(II) resistance determinant of Mycobacterium smegmatis

A zinc ion-sensitive mutant of Mycobacterium smegmatis was isolated. The transposon insertion was located in zitA (MSMEG0750), a gene coding for a cation diffusion facilitator family protein. Zinc ions specifically induced expression of zitA. In silico analysis revealed that environmental and opportunistic pathogenic species contain higher numbers of cation diffusion facilitator genes than do obligate pathogens.

Clioquinol, a Cu(II)/Zn(II) chelator, inhibits both ubiquitination and asparagine hydroxylation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha, leading to expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and erythropoietin in normoxic cells

We found that the Cu(II) and Zn(II)-specific chelator Clioquinol (10-50 microM) increased functional hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha (HIF-1alpha) protein, leading to increased expression of its target genes, vascular endothelial growth factors and erythropoietin, in SH-SY5Y cells and HepG2 cells. Clioquinol inhibited ubiquitination of HIF-1alpha in a Cu(II)- and Zn(II)-dependent manner. It prevents FIH-1 from hydroxylating the asparagine residue (803) of HIF-1alpha in a Cu(II)- and Zn(II)-independent fashion. Therefore, it leads to the accumulation of HIF-1alpha that is prolyl but not asparaginyl hydroxylated. Consistent with this, co-immunoprecipitation assays showed that Clioquinol-induced HIF-1alpha interacted with cAMP-responsive element-binding protein in normoxic cells, implying that Clioquinol stabilizes the trans-active form of HIF-1alpha. Our results indicate that Clioquinol could be useful as an inducer of HIF-1alpha and its target genes in ischemic diseases.