title: Effect of intermittent hypoxic training on HIF gene expression in human skeletal muscle and leukocytes.
abstract: Intermittent hypoxic exposure with exercise training is based on the assumption that brief exposure to hypoxia is sufficient to induce beneficial muscular adaptations mediated via hypoxia-inducible transcription factors (HIF). We previously demonstrated (Mounier et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc 38:1410-1417, 2006) that leukocytes respond to hypoxia with a marked inter-individual variability in HIF-1alpha mRNA. This study compared the effects of 3 weeks of intermittent hypoxic training on hif gene expression in both skeletal muscle and leukocytes. Male endurance athletes (n = 19) were divided into an Intermittent Hypoxic Exposure group (IHE) and a Normoxic Training group (NT) with each group following a similar 3-week exercise training program. After training, the amount of HIF-1alpha mRNA in muscle decreased only in IHE group (-24.7%, P < 0.05) whereas it remained unchanged in leukocytes in both groups. The levels of vEGF(121) and vEGF(165) mRNA in skeletal muscle increased significantly after training only in the NT group (+82.5%, P < 0.05 for vEGF(121); +41.2%, P < 0.05 for vEGF(165)). In leukocytes, only the IHE group showed a significant change in vEGF(165) (-28.2%, P < 0.05). The significant decrease in HIF-1alpha mRNA in skeletal muscle after hypoxic training suggests that transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulations of the hif-1alpha gene are different in muscle and leukocytes.
authors.affiliation: Faculté de Médecine, Laboratoire de Physiologie-Biologie du Sport, 28 place Henri Dunant, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France. remimounier@voila.fr
authors.forename: Rémi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mounier
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pialoux
authors.forename: Belle
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Roels
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Grégoire
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Millet
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mercier
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Coudert
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fellmann
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Clottes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit / Q000235:genetics*; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D027501:Monocarboxylic Acid Transporters / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism*; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C497442:HIF1A protein, human; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; D027501:Monocarboxylic Acid Transporters; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C406962:SLC16A4 protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A