At a resting pulse rate the heart consumes almost twice-as much oxygen per gram tissue as the brain and more than 43 times more than resting skeletal muscle (1). Unlike skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle cannot sustain anaerobic metabolism. Balancing oxygen demand with availability is crucial to cardiac function and survival, and regulated gene expression is a critical element of maintaining this balance. We investigated the role of the hypoxia-inducible transcription factor HIF-1alpha in maintaining this balance under normoxic conditions. Cardiac myocyte-specific HIF-1alpha gene deletion in the hearts of genetically engineered mice caused reductions in contractility, vascularization, high-energy phosphate content, and lactate production. This was accompanied by altered calcium flux and altered expression of genes involved in calcium handling, angiogenesis, and glucose metabolism. These findings support a central role for HIF-1alpha in coordinating energy availability and utilization in the heart and have implications for disease states in which cardiac oxygen delivery is impaired. Heart muscle requires a constant supply of oxygen. When oxygen supply does not match myocardial demand cardiac contractile dysfunction occurs, and prolongation of this mismatch leads to apoptosis and necrosis. Coordination of oxygen supply and myocardial demand involves immediate adaptations, such as coronary vasodilatation, and longer-term adaptations that include altered patterns of gene expression (2-4). How the expression of multiple genes is coordinated with oxygen availability in the heart and the impact of oxygen-dependent gene expression on cardiac function are insufficiently understood. Further elucidating these relationships may help clarify the molecular pathology of various cardiovascular disease states, including ischemic cardiomyopathy and myocardial hibernation (5, 6).

The hypoxia-inducible factors 1␣ (HIF-1␣) and 2␣ (HIF-2␣) have extensive structural homology and have been identified as key transcription factors responsible for gene expression in response to hypoxia. They play critical roles not only in normal development, but also in tumor progression. Here we report on the differential regulation of protein expression and transcriptional activity of HIF-1␣ and -2␣ by hypoxia in immortalized mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs). We show that oxygen-dependent protein degradation is restricted to HIF-1␣, as HIF-2␣ protein is detected in MEFs regardless of oxygenation and is localized primarily to the cytoplasm. Endogenous HIF-2␣ remained transcriptionally inactive under hypoxic conditions; however, ectopically overexpressed HIF-2␣ translocated into the nucleus and could stimulate expression of hypoxia-inducible genes. We show that the factor inhibiting HIF-1 can selectively inhibit the transcriptional activity of HIF-1␣ but has no effect on HIF-2␣-mediated transcription in MEFs. We propose that HIF-2␣ is not a redundant transcription factor of HIF-1␣ for hypoxia-induced gene expression and show evidence that there is a cell type-specific modulator(s) that enables selective activation of HIF-1␣ but not HIF-2␣ in response to low-oxygen stress.

Activity of the p38alpha MAP kinase is stimulated by various stresses and hematopoietic growth factors. A role for p38alpha in mouse development and physiology was investigated by targeted disruption of the p38alpha locus. Whereas some p38alpha(-/-) embryos die between embryonic days 11.5 and 12.5, those that develop past this stage have normal morphology but are anemic owing to failed definitive erythropoiesis, caused by diminished erythropoietin (Epo) gene expression. As p38alpha-deficient hematopoietic stem cells reconstitute lethally irradiated hosts, p38alpha function is not required downstream of Epo receptor. Inhibition of p38 activity also interferes with stabilization of Epo mRNA in human hepatoma cells undergoing hypoxic stress. The p38alpha MAP kinase plays a critical role linking developmental and stress-induced erythropoiesis through regulation of Epo expression.

The immune and intestinal epithelial cells are particularly sensitive to the toxic effects of deoxynivalenol (DON). The aim of this experiment was to study the effects of DON and/or a microbial feed additive on the DNA damage of blood lymphocytes and on the level of thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) as an indicator of lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress in broilers. A total of forty 1-d-old broiler chicks were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 dietary treatments (10 birds per group) for 5 wk. The dietary treatments were 1) basal diet; 2) basal diet contaminated with 10 mg DON/kg feed; 3) basal diet contaminated with 10 mg DON/kg feed and supplemented with 2.5 kg/ton of feed of Mycofix Select; 4) basal diet supplemented with Mycofix Select (2.5 kg/ton of feed). At the end of the feeding trial, blood were collected for measuring the level of lymphocyte DNA damage of blood and the TBARS level was measured in plasma, heart, kidney, duodenum and jejunum. The dietary exposure of DON caused a significant increase (P = 0.001) of DNA damage in blood lymphocytes (31.99±0.89%) as indicated in the tail of comet assay. Interestingly addition of Mycofix Select to DON contaminated diet decreased (P = 0.001) the DNA damage (19.82±1.75%) induced by DON. In order to clarify the involvement of lipid peroxidation in the DNA damage of DON, TBARS levels was measured. A significant increase (P = 0.001) in the level of TBARS (23±2 nmol/mg) was observed in the jejunal tissue suggesting that the lipid peroxidation might be involved in the DNA damage. The results indicate that DON is cytotoxic and genotoxic to the chicken intestinal and immune cells and the feed additive have potential ability to prevent DNA damage induced by DON.

Placental oxidative stress was suggested to play a role in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia (PE). In this study, levels of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG), a well-established marker of oxidative DNA damage, were analysed in placental cellular DNA from normal (group NP) and pre-eclamptic (group PE) pregnancies as well as from PE pregnancies complicated by intrauterine growth restriction (group PE-IUGR). Placental samples obtained immediately after delivery were frozen at -80 degrees C until analysis. Cellular DNA was isolated, hydrolysed and analysed using high-performance liquid chromatography. Native nucleosides were monitored at 254 nm and 8-OH-dG using electrochemical detection. Concentrations of 8-OH-dG were expressed as micro mol/mol 2'-deoxyguanosine. In group NP, mean concentration of 8-OH-dG reached 179.97+/-80.58 (+/-SEM; micro mol/mol dG). 8-OH-dG levels were higher in group PE (273.44+/-110.14 micro mol/mol), but the difference was not significant in comparison with group NP. Highest concentrations of 8-OH-dG were found in group PE-IUGR (428.97+/-141.40 micro mol/mol), with levels significantly higher than in group NP, but not group PE. The results indicate a positive correlation between the severity of PE and the degree of oxidative stress and corroborate previous studies suggesting reactive oxygen species to be involved in the pathophysiology of PE.