title: Vascular endothelial growth factor expression in heart of rats exposed to hypobaric hypoxia: differential response between mRNA and protein.
abstract: This study investigated the role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the neoangiogenesis induced in heart in response to hypoxia. The time-course of adaptive changes in capillary supply, expression of VEGF mRNA and protein was studied in right (RV) and left ventricles (LV) of rats exposed to hypobaric hypoxia during 1-25 days (barometric pressure = 505 hPa). VEGF mRNA levels encoding for VEGF 188 and 164 isoforms were measured by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and VEGF protein was determined by Western blotting. Relative RV weight (i.e., weight of RV related to body weight) increased with hypoxia and was 102% higher than in controls after 15 days of exposure (P < 0.01), while relative LV weight remained unaltered. A rapid and transient increase in VEGF 188 mRNA occurred after 1 day of hypoxia in LV (P < 0.05). Thereafter, a delayed increase in VEGF 188 mRNA expression occurred in RV (ANOVA, P < 0.001). By day 18, VEGF 188 mRNA level was higher in hypoxic than in control rats (P < 0.005) and then decreased to base line levels. Hypoxia did not affect the expression of VEGF 164 mRNA neither in LV nor in RV. One of the main results was that these hypoxia-induced alterations in VEGF transcripts were not followed by associated increase in VEGF protein. These results suggest that capillary growth observed in RV after prolonged exposure to ambient hypoxia likely results from other molecular mechanisms than VEGF.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Factors, Centre de Recherches du Service de Santé des Armées, La Tronche, France.
authors.forename: Olivier J G
authors.initials: OJ
authors.lastname: Birot
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peinnequin
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Simler
authors.forename: Hélène
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: van Cuyck-Gandré
authors.forename: Rodolphe
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hamel
authors.forename: Xavier A
authors.initials: XA
authors.lastname: Bigard
mesh_terms: D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001274:Atmospheric Pressure; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001835:Body Weight; D002196:Capillaries / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression; D006400:Hematocrit; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D017380:Hypertrophy, Right Ventricular / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000503:physiopathology; D009929:Organ Size; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013997:Time Factors; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D020033:Protein Isoforms; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases