Extended ischemia prevents HIF1alpha degradation at reoxygenation by impairing prolyl-hydroxylation: role of Krebs cycle metabolites.

Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) is a heterodimeric transcription factor that activates the cellular response to hypoxia. The HIF1alpha subunit is constantly synthesized and degraded under normoxia, but degradation is rapidly inhibited when oxygen levels drop. Oxygen-dependent hydroxylation by prolyl-4-hydroxylases (PHD) mediates HIF1alpha proteasome degradation. Brain ischemia limits the availability not only of oxygen but also of glucose. We hypothesized that this circumstance could have a modulating effect on HIF. We assessed the separate involvement of oxygen and glucose in HIF1alpha regulation in differentiated neuroblastoma cells subjected to ischemia. We report higher transcriptional activity and HIF1alpha expression under oxygen deprivation in the presence of glucose (OD), than in its absence (oxygen and glucose deprivation, OGD). Unexpectedly, HIF1alpha was not degraded at reoxygenation after an episode of OGD. This was not due to impairment of proteasome function, but was associated with lower HIF1alpha hydroxylation. Krebs cycle metabolites fumarate and succinate are known inhibitors of PHD, while alpha-ketoglutarate is a co-substrate of the reaction. Lack of HIF1alpha degradation in the presence of oxygen was accompanied by a very low alpha-ketoglutarate/fumarate ratio. Furthermore, treatment with a fumarate analogue prevented HIF1alpha degradation under normoxia. In all, our data suggest that postischemic metabolic alterations in Krebs cycle metabolites impair HIF1alpha degradation in the presence of oxygen by decreasing its hydroxylation, and highlight the involvement of metabolic pathways in HIF1alpha regulation besides the well known effects of oxygen.

Glucose promotes caspase-dependent delayed cell death after a transient episode of oxygen and glucose deprivation in SH-SY5Y cells.

Brain ischemia causes neuronal cell death by several mechanisms involving necrotic and apoptotic processes. The contributions of each process depend on conditions such as the severity and duration of ischemia, and the availability of ATP. We examined whether glucose affected the development of apoptosis after transient ischemia, and whether this was sensitive to caspase inhibition. Retinoic acid-differentiated SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells were subjected to oxygen and glucose deprivation for 15 h followed by various periods of reoxygenation in either the presence or absence of glucose. Oxygen and glucose deprivation induced cell death in the hours following reoxygenation, as detected by propidium iodide staining. At the end of the period of oxygen and glucose deprivation, both cytochrome c and apoptosis-inducing factor translocated from mitochondria to cytosol. Reoxygenation in the presence of glucose accelerated cell death, and enhanced caspase-3 activity and apoptosis. The glucose-dependent increase in apoptosis was prevented by treatment with the caspase inhibitor zVAD-fmk, but not with calpeptin, a calpain inhibitor. Nevertheless, both zVAD-fmk and calpeptin decreased cell death in the glucose-treated group. ATP levels dropped dramatically after oxygen and glucose deprivation, but recovered steadily thereafter, and were significantly higher at 6 h of reoxygenation in the glucose-treated group. This indicates that energy recovery may promote the glucose-dependent cell death. We conclude that glucose favours the development of caspase-dependent apoptosis during reoxygenation following oxygen and glucose deprivation.