Hypoxia-induced expression of HIF-1α and its target genes in umbilical venous endothelial cells of Tibetans and immigrant Han

The better adaptation of native Tibetans to hypoxia is thought to be partly due to improved umbilical circulation, which results in reduced pre- and postnatal fatalities. We hypothesized that the difference in umbilical circulation between native Tibetans and other high-altitude inhabitants was due to differences in the expression of hypoxia-induced factor (HIF-1) and its target genes vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). We tested this hypothesis by examining the effect of hypoxia on the expression of HIF-1α, VEGF, and iNOS in cultured umbilical venous endothelial cells (UVECs) from native Tibetans and immigrant Hans. UVECs were collected and cultured under hypoxic (0.5% oxygen) or normoxic conditions for 2, 4, 12 and 24 h. The mRNA levels of HIF-1α, VEGF, endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and iNOS and the protein level of HIF-1α were determined with RT-PCR and Western blot analyses, respectively. In both immigrant Han and Tibetans, HIF-1α mRNA was constitutively expressed under normoxic condition, and remained constant after hypoxic exposure. In contrast, HIF-1α protein was undetectable under normoxic condition, but underwent dynamic changes in response to hypoxia. It was induced at 4 h, peaked at 12 h, and remained elevated at 24 h. Concurrent with the induction of HIF-1α protein, the mRNA levels of VEGF and iNOS were also up-regulated whereas that of eNOS was down-regulated. The lack of a hypoxia-related difference in the expression of HIF-1α and its target genes suggests that HIF-1α does not play a critical role in high altitude adaptation. Alternative mechanisms may be responsible for the better adaptation of native Tibetans.