title: Transient hypoxia induces ERK-dependent anti-apoptotic cell survival in endothelial cells.
abstract: Ischemia-induced apoptosis of endothelial cells may contribute to tissue injury, organ failure, and transplantation rejection. However, little is known about survival mechanisms capable to counteract endothelial apoptosis. This study investigated the potential role of an endogenous anti-apoptotic response elicited by transient hypoxia, capable to avert ongoing apoptosis in endothelial cells. Experiments were carried out in three different types of cultured endothelial cells (human umbilical vein, pig aorta, and from rat coronary microvasculature). As a pro-apoptotic challenge endothelial cells were cultured in serum-free medium and subjected to hypoxia for 2 h. We found that transient hypoxia reduced caspase 3 activation within 1 h of hypoxia. Accordingly, the number of apoptotic cells was reduced after 24 h of reoxygenation. This was true for all three cell types analyzed. Analysis of Akt and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathways revealed that hypoxia induced a transient activation of ERK 2 but not of Akt. ERK 2 phosphorylation preceded the phosphorylation of pro-apoptotic molecule Bad at Ser112, an inhibitory phosphorylation site specific for ERK. The protective effects of hypoxia regarding Bad phosphorylation, caspase 3 activation, and apoptosis were abolished by MEK 1/2 inhibitors, PD98059 or UO126, as well as by antisense oligonucleotides directed against ERK 1/2. Furthermore, inhibition of this pathway inhibited hypoxia-induced increase in mitochondrial membrane potential. The present study demonstrates that transient hypoxia induces a novel survival mechanism that protects endothelial cells against apoptosis. This endogenous process involves MEK/ERK-mediated inhibition of the pro-apoptotic molecule Bad and caspase 3.
authors.affiliation: Physiologisches Institut, Justus-Liebig-Universität, Giessen, Germany.
authors.forename: F V
authors.initials: FV
authors.lastname: Härtel
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Holl
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arshad
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aslam
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gündüz
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weyand
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Micoogullari
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Abdallah
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Piper
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Noll
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D015687:Cell Hypoxia; D002470:Cell Survival; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D020930:MAP Kinase Kinase Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D053078:Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense / Q000378:metabolism; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D010766:Phosphorylation; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013552:Swine; D013997:Time Factors; D051025:bcl-Associated Death Protein / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors; D051025:bcl-Associated Death Protein; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases; D020930:MAP Kinase Kinase Kinases; D053148:Caspase 3