Hypoxia-responsive Elements (hypoxia-responsive + element)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Hypoxia and glucocorticoid signaling converge to regulate macrophage migration inhibitory factor gene expression

ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 8 2009
Laura M. Elsby
Objective Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a proinflammatory mediator involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. This study was undertaken to identify the MIF promoter elements responsible for regulating gene expression. Methods Luciferase reporter gene assays were used to identify the MIF promoter sequence responsible for basal activity. Bioinformatic analysis was used to predict transcription factor binding sites, and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) was used to demonstrate transcription factor binding. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) was used to demonstrate transcription factor loading on the MIF promoter. Results We identified the minimal promoter sequence required for basal MIF promoter activity that was also capable of conferring glucocorticoid-dependent inhibition in a T lymphocyte model cell line. Deletion studies and EMSA revealed 2 elements in the MIF promoter that were responsible for basal promoter activity. The 5, element binds CREB/activating transcription factor 1, and the 3, element is a functional hypoxia-responsive element binding hypoxia-inducible factor 1,. Further studies demonstrated that the cis elements are both required for glucocorticoid-dependent inhibition. ChIP demonstrated glucocorticoid-dependent recruitment of glucocorticoid receptor , to the MIF promoter in lymphocytes within 1 hour of treatment and a concomitant decrease in acetylated histone H3. Conclusion Our findings indicate that hypoxia and glucocorticoid signaling converge on a single element regulating MIF; this regulatory unit is a potential interacting node for microenvironment sensing of oxygen tension and glucocorticoid action in foci of inflammation. [source]


Transcriptional upregulation of HSP70-2 by HIF-1 in cancer cells in response to hypoxia

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER, Issue 2 2009
Wen-Jie Huang
Abstract Heat shock protein 70-2 (HSP70-2) can be expressed by cancer cells and act as an important regulator of cancer cell growth and survival. Here, we show the molecular mechanisms by which hypoxia regulate HSP70-2 expression in cancer cells. When cells were subjected to hypoxia (1% O2), the expression of HSP70-2 had a significant increase in cancer cells. Such increase was due to the direct binding of hypoxia-inducible factor to hypoxia-responsive elements (HREs) in the HSP70-2 promoter. By luciferase assays, we demonstrated that the HRE1 at position ,446 was essential for transcriptional activation of HSP70-2 promoter under hypoxic conditions. We also demonstrated that HIF-1, binds to the HSP70-2 promoter and the binding is specific, as revealed by HIF binding/competition and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. Consequently, the upregulation of HSP70-2 enhanced the resistance of tumor cells to hypoxia-induced apoptosis. These findings provide a new insight into how tumor cells overcome hypoxic stress and survive, and also disclose a new regulatory mechanism of HSP70-2 expression in tumor cells. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Hypoxia-inducible factor regulation of ANK expression in nucleus pulposus cells: Possible implications in controlling dystrophic mineralization in the intervertebral disc

ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 9 2010
Renata Skubutyte
Objective Since nucleus pulposus cells reside under conditions of hypoxia, we determined if the expression of ANK, a pyrophosphate transporter, is regulated by the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) proteins. Methods Quantitative reverse transcription,polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analyses were used to measure ANK expression in nucleus pulposus cells from rats and humans. Transfections were performed to determine the effect of HIF-1/2 on ANK promoter activity. Results ANK was expressed in embryonic and mature rat discs. Oxygen-dependent changes in ANK expression in nucleus pulposus cells were minimal. However, silencing of HIF-1, and HIF-2, resulted in increased ANK expression and up-regulation of promoter activity. HIF-mediated suppression of ANK was validated by measuring promoter activity in HIF-1,,null embryonic fibroblasts. Under conditions of hypoxia, there was induction of promoter activity in the null cells as compared with the wild-type cells. Overexpression of HIF-1, and HIF-2, in nucleus pulposus cells resulted in a significant suppression of ANK promoter activity. Since the ANK promoter contains 2 hypoxia-responsive elements (HREs), we performed site-directed mutagenesis and measured promoter activity. We found that HIF-1 can bind to either of the HREs and can suppress promoter activity; in contrast, HIF-2 was required to bind to both HREs in order to suppress activity. Finally, analysis of human nucleus pulposus tissue showed that while ANK was expressed in normal tissue, there was increased expression of ANK along with alkaline phosphatase in the degenerated state. Conclusion Both HIF-1 and HIF-2 serve as negative regulators of ANK expression in the disc. We propose that baseline expression of ANK in the disc serves to prevent mineral formation under physiologic conditions. [source]


Hybrid promoters directed tBid gene expression to breast cancer cells by transcriptional targeting

BIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS, Issue 2 2010
Samila Farokhimanesh
Abstract Developing cancer gene therapy constructs based on transcriptional targeting of genes to cancer cells is a new and promising modality for treatment of cancer. Introducing truncated Bid (tBid), a recently known member of the Bcl-2 family, eradicates cancer cells efficiently. For transcriptional targeting of tBid, two dual-specificity promoters, combining cancer specific core promoters and response modules, were designed. These two core promoter modules contained cancer specific promoters of MUC1 and Survivin genes accompanied by hypoxia-responsive elements and estrogen responsive elements (microenvironment condition of breast cancer cells) which were employed to achieve a higher and more specific level of tBid expression in breast cancer cells. Correlation of the level of tBid expression in normal and cancer cell lines with promoter activity was measured by RT-PCR after treatment with hypoxia and estrogen. The level of tBid expression under control of new hybrid promoters was compared with its expression under control of cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter as a control. Our data revealed that the level of tBid expression in breast cancer cells were nearly 11 times more than normal cells because of the cancer specific promoters, although tBid expression under control of CMV promoter was almost the same in normal and cancer cell lines. Increased apoptosis was detected in the transfected breast cancer cell lines by the Caspase-3 activity assay. The application of these promoters may prove to have the advantage of tumor selective gene therapy in breast cancer cells and low-potential toxicity for normal tissues. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2010 [source]