• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• 제11권2호
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• pp.83-89
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• 2017

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is involved in not only cancer development and metastasis but also non-cancerous conditions. Hypoxia is one of the proposed critical factors contributing to formation of chronic rhinosinusitis or nasal polyposis. Wheatgrass (Triticum aestivum) has antioxidant, anti-aging, and anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, we analyzed whether wheatgrass has an inhibitory effect on the EMT process in airway epithelial cells. MATERIALS/METHODS: A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells were incubated in hypoxic conditions ($CO_2$ 5%/$O_2$ 1%) for 24 h in the presence of different concentrations of wheatgrass extract (50, 75, 100, and $150{\mu}g/mL$) and changes in expression of epithelial or mesenchymal markers were evaluated by immunoblotting and immunofluorescence. Accordingly, associated EMT-related transcriptional factors, Snail and Smad, were also evaluated. RESULTS: Hypoxia increased expression of N-cadherin and reduced expression of E-cadherin. Mechanistically, E-cadherin levels were recovered during hypoxia by silencing hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-$1{\alpha}$ or administering wheatgrass extract. Wheatgrass inhibited the hypoxia-mediated EMT by reducing the expression of phosphorylated Smad3 (pSmad3) and Snail. It suppressed the hypoxia-mediated EMT processes of airway epithelial cells via HIF-$1{\alpha}$ and the pSmad3 signaling pathway. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that wheatgrass has potential as a therapeutic or supplementary agent for HIF-1-related diseases.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제42권11호
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• pp.763-772
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• 2019

Periodontitis is characterized by the loss of periodontal tissues, especially alveolar bone. Common therapies cannot satisfactorily recover lost alveolar bone. Periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) possess the capacity of self-renewal and multilineage differentiation and are likely to recover lost alveolar bone. In addition, periodontitis is accompanied by hypoxia, and hypoxia-inducible $factor-1{\alpha}$ ($HIF-1{\alpha}$) is a master transcription factor in the response to hypoxia. Thus, we aimed to ascertain how hypoxia affects runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2), a key osteogenic marker, in the osteogenesis of PDLSCs. In this study, we found that hypoxia enhanced the protein expression of $HIF-1{\alpha}$, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and RUNX2 ex vivo and in situ. VEGF is a target gene of $HIF-1{\alpha}$, and the increased expression of VEGF and RUNX2 proteins was enhanced by cobalt chloride ($CoCl_2$, $100{\mu}mol/L$), an agonist of $HIF-1{\alpha}$, and suppressed by 3-(5'-hydroxymethyl-2'-furyl)-1-benzyl indazole (YC-1, $10{\mu}mol/L$), an antagonist of $HIF-1{\alpha}$. In addition, VEGF could regulate the expression of RUNX2, as RUNX2 expression was enhanced by human VEGF ($hVEGF_{165}$) and suppressed by VEGF siRNA. In addition, knocking down VEGF could decrease the expression of osteogenesis-related genes, i.e., RUNX2, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and type I collagen (COL1), and hypoxia could enhance the expression of ALP, COL1, and osteocalcin (OCN) in the early stage of osteogenesis of PDLSCs. Taken together, our results showed that hypoxia could mediate the expression of RUNX2 in PDLSCs via $HIF-1{\alpha}$-induced VEGF and play a positive role in the early stage of osteogenesis of PDLSCs.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• 제39권11호
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• pp.828-837
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• 2006

배경: 악성종양에서 신생혈관 생성 및 당분해의 증가는 저산소 상태의 미세환경을 나타내며, 이는 종양의 침습성, 전이 및 환자의 예후와 관련이 있는 것으로 알려져 있다. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1(HIF-1)는 당원 수송체, 당분해 효소, 혈관내피세포 성장인자 등의 유전자의 전사를 활성화한다고 알려져 있다. 그리고 HIF-1의 전사 활성도는 HIF-$1{\alpha}$ 아단위의 표현이 조절되는 정도에 의존한다. 비소세포 폐암에서 HIF-$1{\alpha}$의 발현이 혈관 생성능, 종양세포 증식능 및 이상형 p53의 축적 등 종양의 생물학적 특성에 미치는 영향과 환자의 수술 후 예후와의 관계를 규명하고자 한다. 대상 및 방법: 1997년부터 1999년까지 비소세포 폐암으로 진단받고 전폐절제술 혹은 폐엽절제술을 시행 받은 59명의 폐암 환자들에서 얻어진 파라핀 조직 블록을 대상으로 하였다. ABC(avidin-biotin complex) 방법에 기초한 면역조직화학검사를 이용하여 암조직과 정상조직에서 HIF-$1{\alpha}$, VEGF(vascular endothelial growth factor), p53 단백의 발현을 조사하고, Ki-67의 발현을 이용한 증식지수를 측정하였다. HIF-$1{\alpha}$ 발현과 환자의 생존기간을 포함한 임상적-병리학적 변수들과의 상관관계, VEGF, p53의 발현과 증식지수와의 상관관계를 분석하였다. 결과: HIF-$1{\alpha}$의 과발현은 40.7%(24예/59예)였다. HIF-$1{\alpha}$의 과발현은 병리학적 TNM병기(p=0.004), T병기(p=0.020), N병기(p=0.004), 림프관/혈관 침범(p=0.019) 등과 관련이 있었다. 또 혈관내피세포 성장인자의 발현(p<0.001) 및 이상형의 p53의 발현(p=0.040)과 관련성이 있었다. Kaplan-Meier 생존분석에서 HIF-$1{\alpha}$의 과발현이 있는 환자의 5년 생존울은 22%로 HIF-$1{\alpha}$의 저발현 환자의 5년 생존율 61%에 비해 불량한 생존율을 보였고, 단변량분석과 다변량분석에서 HIF-$1{\alpha}$의 발현은 불량한 예후를 나타내는 인자로 관찰되었다. 결론: 이상의 결과로 비소세포 폐암 환자에서 HIF-$1{\alpha}$의 과발현은 종양내 신생혈관의 생성과 림프절 전이와 관련이 있는 표지자로 여겨지며, 수술 후 불량한 예후를 나타내었다.

• BMB Reports
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• 제49권3호
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• pp.173-178
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• 2016

Liver cells experience hypoxic stress when drug-metabolizing enzymes excessively consume O₂ for hydroxylation. Hypoxic stress changes the transcription of several genes by activating a heterodimeric transcription factor called hypoxia-inducible factor-1α/β (HIF-1α/β). We found that hypoxic stress (0.1% O₂) decreased the expression of cytochrome P450 7A1 (CYP7A1), a rate-limiting enzyme involved in bile acid biosynthesis. Chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), a major component of bile acids, represses CYP7A1 by activating a transcriptional repressor named small heterodimer partner (SHP). We observed that hypoxia decreased the levels of both CDCA and SHP, suggesting that hypoxia repressed CYP7A1 without inducing SHP. The finding that overexpression of HIF-1α increased the activity of the CYP7A1 promoter suggested that hypoxia decreased the expression of CYP7A1 in a HIF-1-independent manner. Thus, the results of this study suggested that hypoxia decreased the activity of CYP7A1 by limiting its substrate O₂, and by decreasing the transcription of CYP7A1.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제60권5호
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• pp.317-325
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• 2022

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) is one of the master regulators of immune and metabolic cellular functions. HIF-1α, a transcriptional factor whose activity is closely related to oxygen levels, is a target for understanding infectious disease control. Several studies have demonstrated that HIF-1α plays an important role during the infectious process, while its role in relation to parasite virulence has not been addressed. In this work, we studied the expression levels of HIF-1α and related angiogenic vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) in human macrophages infected with promastigotes of hypo- or hyper-virulent Leishmania major human isolates. L. major parasites readily subverted host macrophage functions for their survival and induced local oxygen consumption at the site of infection. In contrast to hypo-virulent parasites that induce high HIF-1α expression levels, hyper-virulent L. major reduced HIF-1α expression in macrophages under normoxic or hypoxic conditions, and consequently impeded the expression of VEGF-A mRNA. HIF-1α may play a key role during control of disease chronicity, severity, or outcome.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제43권12호
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• pp.975-988
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• 2020

Hypoxia plays important roles in cancer progression by inducing angiogenesis, metastasis, and drug resistance. However, the effects of hypoxia on long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) expression have not been clarified. Herein, we evaluated alterations in lncRNA expression in lung cancer cells under hypoxic conditions using lncRNA microarray analyses. Among 40,173 lncRNAs, 211 and 113 lncRNAs were up- and downregulated, respectively, in both A549 and NCI-H460 cells. Uroplakin 1A (UPK1A) and UPK1A-antisense RNA 1 (AS1), which showed the highest upregulation under hypoxic conditions, were selected to investigate the effects of UPK1A-AS1 on the expression of UPK1A and the mechanisms of hypoxia-inducible expression. Following transfection of cells with small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α), the hypoxia-induced expression of UPK1A and UPK1A-AS1 was significantly reduced, indicating that HIF-1α played important roles in the hypoxia-induced expression of these targets. After transfection of cells with UPK1A siRNA, UPK1A and UPK1A-AS1 levels were reduced. Moreover, transfection of cells with UPK1A-AS1 siRNA downregulated both UPK1A-AS1 and UPK1A. RNase protection assays demonstrated that UPK1A and UPK1A-AS1 formed a duplex; thus, transfection with UPK1A-AS1 siRNA decreased the RNA stability of UPK1A. Overall, these results indicated that UPK1A and UPK1A-AS1 expression increased under hypoxic conditions in a HIF-1α-dependent manner and that formation of a UPK1A/UPK1A-AS1 duplex affected RNA stability, enabling each molecule to regulate the expression of the other.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제37권1호
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• pp.43-50
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• 2014

Jumonji domain-containing proteins (JMJD) catalyze the oxidative demethylation of a methylated lysine residue of histones by using $O_2$, ${\alpha}$-ketoglutarate, vitamin C, and Fe(II). Several JMJDs are induced by hypoxic stress to compensate their presumed reduction in catalytic activity under hypoxia. In this study, we showed that an H3K27me3 specific histone demethylase, JMJD3 was induced by hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-$1{\alpha}/{\beta}$ under hypoxia and that treatment with Clioquinol, a HIF-$1{\alpha}$ activator, increased JMJD3 expression even under normoxia. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analyses showed that both HIF-$1{\alpha}$ and its dimerization partner HIF-$1{\beta}$/Arnt occupied the first intron region of the mouse JMJD3 gene, whereas the HIF-$1{\alpha}/{\beta}$ heterodimer bound to the upstream region of the human JMJD3, indicating that human and mouse JMJD3 have hypoxia-responsive regulatory regions in different locations. This study shows that both mouse and human JMJD3 are induced by HIF-1.

• 대한의생명과학회지
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• 제27권2호
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• pp.69-76
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• 2021

The aim of this study was to evaluate gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-induced erythropoietin (EPO) and EPO-receptor expression in human Hep3B cells and Sprague Dawley (SD) rats during hypoxia. Expression levels of EPO, EPO-R mRNA, Janus kinase-2 (JAK-2), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), and HIF-2 in response to GABA treatment were evaluated in cell lines. SD rats were randomly divided into 5 groups of 8 rats each, and GABA was orally administered; the groups were the normal control (NC), hypoxia-exposed (G0), as well as the GABA 1 mg/100 g body weight (BW) GABA treated group (G1), 5 mg/100 g BW GABA treated group (G5), and 10 mg/100 g BW GABA treated group (G10) with hypoxia. We analyzed EPO levels and red blood cell counts in rat blood and EPO gene expression in kidney tissue. EPO and VEGF mRNA levels in Hep3B cells exposed to hypoxia were significantly increased and further increased after GABA treatment. However, the expression of EPO-R and JAK-2 mRNAs were not affected by GABA, but hypoxia-induced HIF-1 and HIF-2 mRNA expression was inhibited by GABA. In the kidney tissue of rats exposed to hypoxia, the expression level of EPO mRNA was greatly increased, but levels in the GABA treatment groups significantly decreased. EPO levels in the serum showed the same significant trend, but the red blood cell counts were not significantly different. These findings demonstrate that HIF-1 and HIF-2 activation increase EPO expression in Hep3B cells exposed to hypoxia. However HIF decreased by GABA addition and VEGF increased significantly.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제22권3호
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• pp.291-299
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• 2006

Vitexin, a natural flavonoid compound identified as apigenin-8-C-${\beta}$-D-glucopyranoside, has been reported to exhibit antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, we investigated its effect on hypoxiainducible factor-$1{\alpha}$ (HIF-$1{\alpha}$) in rat pheochromacytoma (PC12), human osteosarcoma (HOS) and human hepatoma (HepG2) cells. Vitexin inhibited HIF-$1{\alpha}$ in PC12 cells, but not in HOS or HepG2 cells. In addition, it diminished the mRNA levels of hypoxia-inducible genes such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), smad3, aldolase A, enolase 1, and collagen type III in the PC12 cells. We found that vitexin inhibited the migration of PC12 cells as well as their invasion rates, and it also inhibited tube formation by human umbilical vein endothelium cells (HUVECs). Interestingly, vitexin inhibited the hypoxia-induced activation of c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), but not of extracellular-signal regulated protein kinase (ERK), implying that it acts in part via the JNK pathway. Overall, these results suggest the potential use of vitexin as a treatment for diseases such as cancer.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제50권6호
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• pp.481-485
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• 2011

Objective : The purpose of this study is to investigate serial changes of hypoxia-inducible factor $1{\alpha}$ (HIF-$1{\alpha}$), as a key regulator of hypoxic ischemia, and apoptosis of hippocampus induced by bilateral carotid arteries occlusion (BCAO) in rats. Methods : Adult male Wistar rats were subjected to the permanent BCAO. The time points studied were 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after occlusions, with n=6 animals subjected to BCAO, and n=2 to sham operation at each time point, and brains were fixed by intracardiac perfusion fixation with 4% neutral-buffered praraformaldehyde for brain section preparation. Immunohistochemistry (IHC), western blot and terminal uridine deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay were performed to evaluate HIF-$1{\alpha}$ expression and apoptosis. Results : In IHC and western blot, HIF-$1{\alpha}$ levels were found to reach the peak at the 2nd week in the hippocampus, while apoptotic neurons, in TUNEL assay, were maximal at the 4th week in the hippocampus, especially in the cornu ammonis 1 (CA1) region. HIF-$1{\alpha}$ levels and apoptosis were found to fluctuate during the time course. Conclusion : This study showed that BCAO induces acute ischemic responses for about 4 weeks then chronic ischemia in the hippocampus. These in vivo data are the first to show the temporal sequence of apoptosis and HIF-$1{\alpha}$ expression.