Regulation of HIF-1alpha stability through S-nitrosylation.

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) is a master transcriptional factor. Under normal oxygen tension, HIF-1 activity is usually suppressed due to the rapid, oxygen-dependent degradation of one of its two subunits, HIF-1alpha. Here we report that normoxic HIF-1 activity can be upregulated through NO-mediated S-nitrosylation and stabilization of HIF-1alpha. In murine tumors, exposure to ionizing radiation stimulated the generation of NO in tumor-associated macrophages. As a result, the HIF-1alpha protein is S-nitrosylated at Cys533 (through "biotin switch" assay) in the oxygen-dependent degradation domain, which prevents its destruction. Importantly, this mechanism appears to be independent of the prolylhydroxylase-based pathway that is involved in oxygen-dependent regulation of HIF-1alpha. Selective disruption of this S-nitrosylation significantly attenuated both radiation-induced and macrophage-induced activation of HIF-1alpha. This interaction between NO and HIF-1 sheds new light on their involvement in tumor response to treatment as well as mammalian inflammation process in general.

Duke Scholars

Author Fang Li Dermatology

Author Mark Wesley Dewhirst Radiation Oncology

Author Chuan-Yuan Li Dermatology