Jump to main content
US EPA
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Search
Search
Main menu
Environmental Topics
Laws & Regulations
About EPA
Health & Environmental Research Online (HERO)
Contact Us
Print
Feedback
Export to File
Search:
This record has one attached file:
Add More Files
Attach File(s):
Display Name for File*:
Save
Citation
Tags
HERO ID
1652175
Reference Type
Journal Article
Title
Calpain mediates a von Hippel-Lindau protein-independent destruction of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha
Author(s)
Zhou, J; Kohl, R; Herr, B; Frank, R; Brune, B
Year
2006
Is Peer Reviewed?
1
Journal
Molecular Biology of the Cell
ISSN:
1059-1524
EISSN:
1939-4586
Volume
17
Issue
4
Page Numbers
1549-1558
PMID
16421254
DOI
10.1091/mbc.E05-08-0770
Web of Science Id
WOS:000236657900006
Abstract
Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) is controlled through stability regulation of its alpha subunit, which is expressed under hypoxia but degraded under normoxia. Degradation of HIF-1 alpha requires association of the von Hippel Lindau protein (pVHL) to provoke ubiquitination followed by proteasomal digestion. Besides hypoxia, nitric oxide (NO) stabilizes HIF-1 alpha under normoxia but destabilizes the protein under hypoxia. To understand the role of NO under hypoxia we made use of pVHL-deficient renal carcinoma cells (RCC4) that show a high steady state HIF-1 alpha expression under normoxia. Exposing RCC4 cells to hypoxia in combination with the NO donor DETA-NO (2,2'-(hydroxynitrosohydrazono) bis-ethanimine), but not hypoxia or DETA-NO alone, decreased HIF-1 alpha protein and attenuated HIF-1 transactivation. Mechanistically, we noticed a role of calpain because calpain inhibitors reversed HIF-1 alpha degradation. Furthermore, chelating intracellular calcium attenuated HIF-1 alpha destruction by hypoxia/DETA-NO, whereas a calcium increase was sufficient to lower the amount of HIF-1 alpha even under normoxia. An active role of calpain in lowering HIF-1 alpha amount was also evident in pVHL-containing human embryonic kidney cells when the calcium pump inhibitor thapsigargin reduced HIF-1 alpha that was stabilized by the prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor dimethyloxalylglycine (DMOG). We conclude that calcium contributes to HIF-1 alpha destruction involving the calpain system.
Home
Learn about HERO
Using HERO
Search HERO
Projects in HERO
Risk Assessment
Transparency & Integrity