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Circulation Research. 2000;86:974-981

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(Circulation Research. 2000;86:974.)
© 2000 American Heart Association, Inc.


Integrative Physiology

Hypoxia-Induced Endothelial Apoptosis Through Nuclear Factor-{kappa}B (NF-{kappa}B)–Mediated bcl-2 Suppression

In Vivo Evidence of the Importance of NF-{kappa}B in Endothelial Cell Regulation

Hidetsugu Matsushita, Ryuichi Morishita, Toshie Nata, Motokuni Aoki, Hironori Nakagami, Yoshiaki Taniyama, Kei Yamamoto, Jitsuo Higaki, Kaneda Yasufumi, Toshio Ogihara

From the Department of Geriatric Medicine (H.M., R.M., M.A., H.N., Y.T., K. Yamamoto, J.H., T.O.) and Division of Gene Therapy Science (R.M., T.N., K. Yasafumi), Osaka University Medical School, Suita 565, Japan.

Correspondence to Ryuichi Morishita, Associate Professor, Division of Gene Therapy Science, Osaka University Medical School, 2-2 Yamada-oka, Suita 565, Japan. E-mail morishit{at}geriat.med.osaka-u.ac.jp


*    Abstract
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*Abstract
down arrowIntroduction
down arrowMaterials and Methods
down arrowResults
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Abstract—The transcription factor nuclear factor-{kappa}B (NF-{kappa}B) plays a pivotal role in the coordinated transactivation of cytokine and adhesion molecule genes involved in endothelial activation. Although recent reports have documented the contribution of NF-{kappa}B to apoptosis, it is still controversial. Especially, the role of NF-{kappa}B in endothelial apoptosis is largely unknown. Hypoxia significantly induced human aortic endothelial cell death and apoptosis in a time-dependent manner (P<0.01), accompanied by NF-{kappa}B activation. Decrease in total cell number and increase in apoptotic cells induced by hypoxia were significantly attenuated by NF-{kappa}B decoy, but not by scrambled decoy, oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) (P<0.01). Increase in DNA fragmentation induced by hypoxia was also significantly inhibited by NF-{kappa}B decoy ODNs as compared with scrambled decoy ODNs (P<0.01). Moreover, transfection of NF-{kappa}B decoy ODNs resulted in a significant decrease in caspase-3–like activity, which is a common pathway for apoptosis, compared with scrambled decoy ODNs. Importantly, transfection of NF-{kappa}B decoy ODNs significantly increased protein of bcl-2, an inhibitor of apoptosis, and did not alter bax, a promoter of apoptosis, thereby resulting in a significant increase in the ratio of bcl-2 to bax (P<0.01). bcl-2 mRNA was also decreased by hypoxia, whereas transfection of NF-{kappa}B decoy ODNs significantly attenuated decrease in bcl-2 mRNA. These results demonstrate that activation of NF-{kappa}B by hypoxia induced endothelial apoptosis in a bcl-2–dependent manner. The importance of NF-{kappa}B in endothelial apoptosis was confirmed by the observation that pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate, a potent NF-{kappa}B inhibitor, prevented endothelial apoptosis, caspase 3–like activity, and bcl-2 downregulation induced by hypoxia. To test this hypothesis in vivo, we transfected NF-{kappa}B decoy ODNs into rat intact carotid artery after reperfusion injury. Reperfusion injury was associated with a significant increase in endothelial apoptosis at 24 hours, whereas NF-{kappa}B decoy ODN treatment markedly decreased terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase–mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL)–positive endothelial cells at 24 hours after reperfusion (P<0.01). Here, using synthetic double-stranded DNA with high affinity for NF-{kappa}B as a decoy approach, we demonstrated that activation of NF-{kappa}B by hypoxia caused aortic endothelial cell death and apoptosis through the suppression of bcl-2. NF-{kappa}B–mediated endothelial apoptosis induced by hypoxia may be involved in the pathogenesis of endothelial dysfunction observed in cardiovascular ischemic diseases.


Key Words: hypoxia • nuclear factor-{kappa}B • bcl-2 • bax • decoy


*    Introduction
up arrowTop
up arrowAbstract
*Introduction
down arrowMaterials and Methods
down arrowResults
down arrowDiscussion
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Severe damage to endothelial cells induced by a complex interaction of multiple cytokines and adhesion molecules has been postulated to be responsible for cardiovascular disease such as myocardial infarction and atherosclerosis.1 2 3 4 5 Its process would be largely dependent on the coordinated activation of a series of cytokine and adhesion molecule genes that results in the adhesion of leukocytes and release of cytotoxic molecules. Importantly, a critical element in the regulation of these genes involves the complex formed by nuclear factor-{kappa}B (NF-{kappa}B) and inhibitory {kappa}B.6 Dissociation of the transcription factor NF-{kappa}B from this complex is proposed to play a pivotal role in the regulation of ischemic changes by inducing a coordinated transactivation of genes involved in these processes, including interleukins 1, 6, and 8; intercellular adhesion molecule; vascular cell adhesion molecule; and endothelial leukocyte adhesion molecule, to name a few.6 To investigate the role of NF-{kappa}B in the pathogenesis of myocardial injury after reperfusion, we utilized synthetic double-stranded oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) as "decoy" cis elements that block the binding of nuclear factors to promoter regions of targeted genes, resulting in the inhibition of gene transactivation.7 8 9 Indeed, transfection of a sufficient quantity of decoy ODNs containing the NF-{kappa}B cis element into coronary artery effectively prevented transactivation of the gene expression of essential cytokine and adhesion molecule proteins and, thereby, protected the myocardium from infarction in vivo.10 From the previous study, we postulated that prevention of myocardial infarction by NF-{kappa}B decoy would be due to the blockade of transactivation of cytokines and adhesion molecules.

On the other hand, recent studies demonstrated more direct actions of NF-{kappa}B in the process of apoptosis in various cells.11 12 13 Proliferation and cell death are considered to be two mechanically related phenomena. According to this view, cells are programmed to commit suicide by default and require specific extracellular factors to survive.14 A number of studies suggest that cell survival is regulated by (1) triggering of specific signaling pathways, (2) modulation of the activity of antiapoptotic molecules, and (3) inhibition of cell death effectors.15 Because endothelial cells work as a biological barrier to prevent the migration of neutrophils and other blood components that are essential to promote myocardial injury, it is extremely important to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of endothelial cell death in response to hypoxia for understanding the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. In addition, although hypoxia has been reported to cause apoptosis, its exact mechanisms are not yet clarified. Thus, it is valuable to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which human endothelial cells undergo apoptosis in response to hypoxia. As the mechanisms responsible for endothelial cell death induced by hypoxia remain enigmatic, we have addressed the following specific questions: (1) how endothelial cells undergo apoptosis in response to hypoxia and (2) how NF-{kappa}B acts as a proapoptotic factor against endothelial cell death induced by hypoxia.


*    Materials and Methods
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up arrowIntroduction
*Materials and Methods
down arrowResults
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In Vitro Experiments
Using human aortic endothelial cells, hypoxia was induced with BBL GasPak (Becton Dickinson), which catalytically reduces O2 to undetectable levels under severe conditions within 90 minutes.16 In preparation for experiments for detection of cell death, endothelial cells were grown to confluence. After reaching confluence, medium was changed to fresh, defined serum-free medium.17 On day 2, an index of cell proliferation was determined using sulfonated tetrazolium salt, WST-1.18 As an assay of cell death by apoptosis, we used fluorescent DNA-binding dyes to define nuclear chromatin morphological features as a quantitative index of apoptosis within the cell culture system.19 20 Using membrane-permeable (H33342) dye in the assay allowed the determination of cell viability and plasma membrane integrity and an accounting of any nonapoptotic toxic or necrotic death induced in the study groups. Also, we used the measurement of cellular DNA fragmentation using a cellular DNA fragmentation ELISA kit (Boehringer Mannheim) to quantity apoptosis.21 Measurement of caspase-3–like activity was also performed.

For in vitro transfection of NF-{kappa}B or scrambled decoy ODNs, endothelial cells were treated with hemagglutinating virus of Japan (HVJ)-cationic liposome complex (100 µL). After incubation, the medium was changed to fresh medium containing 0.5% serum, and cells were incubated under hypoxic conditions. Cell counting and staining for apoptosis were performed on day 3 after transfection. For analysis of NF-{kappa}B activity, nuclear extract was prepared from cultured endothelial cells for gel mobility shift assay.10 NF-{kappa}B decoy ODNs were labeled as a probe at the 3' end by the 3' end-labeling kit. For the competition assay, unlabeled double-stranded NF-{kappa}B or scrambled ODNs were preincubated with a parallel sample 10 minutes before the addition of the labeled probe. Western blotting was performed for analysis of bax and bcl-2 proteins at 3 days after transfection. bcl-2 mRNA level was also examined using Northern blot analysis.

In Vivo Experiments
All surgical procedures were performed according to the Principles of Laboratory Animal Care and the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. The left common carotid artery of male Sprague-Dawley rats was surgically exposed.22 23 For the reperfusion injury model, the carotid artery was temporarily ligated. After 30 minutes of occlusion, the temporary ligature on the common carotid artery was released and blood flow was restored. Ten minutes before release (20 minutes after occlusion), transfection of HVJ-liposome complex containing (1) NF-{kappa}B decoy ODNs (15 µmol/L) or (2) scrambled decoy ODNs (15 µmol/L) was performed. Then, 200 µL of HVJ-liposome complex was infused into the segment and incubated for 10 minutes at room temperature. After 10 minutes of incubation (total 30 minutes of occlusion), the infusion cannula was removed. The vessel was excised 24 hours after reperfusion. Quantification of apoptotic endothelial cells was performed by terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase–mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining. Frequency of apoptotic cells was expressed as TUNEL index, defined as the ratio of the number of TUNEL-positive nuclei to that of all the nuclei in the media. All values are expressed as mean±SEM. ANOVA with subsequent Duncan test was used to determine the significance of differences in multiple comparisons.

An expanded Materials and Methods section is available online at http://www.circresaha.org.


*    Results
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up arrowAbstract
up arrowIntroduction
up arrowMaterials and Methods
*Results
down arrowDiscussion
down arrowReferences
 
In Vitro Experiments
Effects of NF-{kappa}B Decoy ODNs on Hypoxia-Induced Cell Death
Initially, we examined the effects of hypoxic treatment on human endothelial cell growth. After 12 hours under hypoxic conditions, some cells started to become round and eventually detached from the plate and floated in the medium, leaving many holes in the confluent cells. Cell number under hypoxic conditions decreased significantly in a time-dependent manner (P<0.01), as shown in Figure 1ADown. Accordingly, apoptotic cells also increased significantly in response to hypoxia as assessed by nuclear staining with Hoechst 33342 (Figure 1BDown, P<0.01) and DNA fragmentation (Figure 1CDown, P<0.01). It is noteworthy that the binding affinity of NF-{kappa}B was markedly increased in endothelial cells at 6 hours after the treatment under hypoxic conditions as compared with normoxic conditions, as assessed by gel mobility shift assay (Figure 2ADown), consistent with our previous report.10



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Figure 1. A, Effect of hypoxic treatment on endothelial cell number. Normoxia indicates endothelial cells cultured under normoxic conditions; hypoxia, endothelial cells cultured under hypoxic conditions. Values are expressed as percentage of cell number at 0 hours. n=8 for each group calculated from 8 independent experiments. *P<0.01 vs normoxia at representative time points. B and C, Effect of hypoxic treatment on percentage change in apoptotic cells (B) and on ratio of DNA fragmentation (C) in endothelial cells at 48 hours after treatment. n=8 for each group calculated from 8 independent experiments. *P<0.01 vs normoxia.



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Figure 2. A, Gel mobility shift assay for NF-{kappa}B binding site. P indicates 32P-labeled NF-{kappa}B decoy ODNs without nuclear extract; N, nuclear extracts (10 or 20 µg) from endothelial cells cultured under normoxic conditions incubated with 32P-labeled double-stranded NF-{kappa}B decoy ODNs for 30 minutes at room temperature without any competitor; H, nuclear extracts from endothelial cells cultured under hypoxic conditions incubated with 32P-labeled double-stranded NF-{kappa}B decoy ODNs without any competitor; and C, H+cold NF-{kappa}B decoy ODNs (50x and 100x excess). B, Inhibitory effect of NF-{kappa}B decoy ODN transfection on endothelial cell death induced by hypoxia. Normoxia indicates untreated endothelial cells cultured under normoxic conditions; hypoxia, untreated endothelial cells cultured under hypoxic conditions; SD, endothelial cells treated with scrambled decoy ODNs cultured under hypoxic conditions; and NF, endothelial cells treated with NF-{kappa}B decoy ODNs cultured under hypoxic conditions. Values are expressed as percentage of cell number cultured under normoxic conditions. n=8 for each group calculated from 8 independent experiments. *P<0.01 vs hypoxia.

Therefore, we hypothesized that hypoxia-induced activation of NF-{kappa}B would mediate apoptosis and cell death in endothelial cells. Thus, we examined the inhibitory effects of transfection of NF-{kappa}B decoy ODNs into endothelial cells on hypoxia-induced cell death. To transfect decoy ODNs, we used the cationic HVJ-liposome method, which is a novel gene transfection method. Previous reports have mentioned that this method is more efficient for transfection into various cells in vitro as compared with the conventional (anionic) HVJ-liposome complex method.24 25 First, we tested whether in vitro transfection of decoy ODNs into human endothelial cells by the cationic HVJ-liposome method is possible by using FITC-labeled decoy ODNs. Five minutes after transfection of FITC-labeled ODNs by the cationic HVJ-liposome method (3 µmol/L), intense nuclear fluorescence was observed. Nearly 80% to 90% of endothelial cells could be transfected by this method. Furthermore, the fluorescence could be detected up to at least 72 hours after transfection (data not shown). In contrast, no fluorescence was observed in untransfected (untreated) cells. Using this transfection method, we elucidated the role of NF-{kappa}B in endothelial cell death induced by hypoxia. Expectedly, transfection of NF-{kappa}B decoy ODNs resulted in significant inhibition of cell death induced by hypoxia as compared with transfection of scrambled decoy ODNs (Figure 2BUp, P<0.01). Similarly, apoptotic cells were also significantly decreased by transfection of NF-{kappa}B, but not scrambled decoy, ODNs as assessed by nuclear staining (Figure 1Up online [see http://www.circresaha.org] and Figure 4ADown, P<0.01) and DNA fragmentation (Figure 3BDown, P<0.01). In addition, activity of caspase 3, an interleukin-1ß converting enzyme homologue that cleaves poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase during early apoptosis,26 was also observed under hypoxic conditions (Figure 3CDown, P<0.01). The increase in caspase-3–like activity induced by hypoxia was also significantly attenuated by transfection of NF-{kappa}B decoy, but not scrambled decoy, ODNs (Figure 3CDown).



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Figure 4. Protective effects of PDTC treatment on percentage change in endothelial apoptotic cells induced by hypoxia at 48 hours. Values are expressed as percentage of surviving cells in total cells and apoptotic cells in total cells as compared with normoxia. Normoxia indicates untreated endothelial cells cultured under normoxic conditions; hypoxia, untreated endothelial cells cultured under hypoxic conditions; and PDTC, endothelial cells treated with PDTC cultured under hypoxic conditions. n=8 for each group calculated from 8 independent experiments. *P<0.01 vs hypoxia.



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Figure 3. Protective effects of NF-{kappa}B decoy ODN transfection on percentage change in apoptotic cells (A) and ratio of DNA fragmentation (B) induced by hypoxia at 48 hours. Values are expressed as percentage of apoptotic cells in total cells or DNA fragmentation as compared with normoxia. n=8 for each group calculated from 8 independent experiments. *P<0.01 vs hypoxia. C, Percentage change in caspase-3–like activity in endothelial cells transfected with decoy ODNs at 48 hours after transfection. PDTC indicates endothelial cells treated with PDTC cultured under hypoxic conditions; all other definitions as in Figure 2BUp. Values are expressed as percentage of caspase-3–like activity as compared with normoxia. n=8 for each group calculated from 8 independent experiments. *P<0.01 vs hypoxia; ##P<0.01 vs SD.

We further confirmed the proapoptotic action of NF-{kappa}B in endothelial cells using pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC), a potent inhibitor of NF-{kappa}B. As previous studies documented the inhibitory effects of PDTC on NF-{kappa}B activation,27 28 we used PDTC treatment as an additional NF-{kappa}B inhibition. As shown in Figure 4Up, PDTC treatment with endothelial cells under hypoxic conditions resulted in a significant attenuation of endothelial apoptosis (P<0.01), accompanied by the decrease in NF-{kappa}B activity. Moreover, caspase-3–like activity was also diminished by PDTC treatment (P<0.01, Figure 3CUp).

Activation of NF-{kappa}B Downregulated bcl-2 Expression
We next examined the molecular mechanisms by which NF-{kappa}B activation in response to hypoxia induces endothelial apoptosis. In this study, we focused on the expression of bcl-2 and bax proteins, as bcl-2 and bax are homologous proteins that have opposing effects on cell life and death, with bcl-2 serving to prolong cell survival and bax acting as an accelerator of apoptosis. 29 30 As shown in Figures 5ADown and 5BDown, hypoxic treatment significantly decreased bcl-2 protein as compared with normoxic conditions (P<0.01). Interestingly, transfection of NF-{kappa}B decoy ODNs resulted in a significant increase in bcl-2 protein that was downregulated by hypoxia as assessed by Western blotting (P<0.01). We also examined the effects of PDTC treatment on bcl-2. Consistent with NF-{kappa}B decoy experiments, PDTC treatment significantly attenuated the decrease in bcl-2 induced by hypoxia (P<0.01, Figures 5CDown and 5DDown). In contrast, no significant change in bax protein was observed in hypoxic conditions as compared with normoxic conditions (Figure 2Up online [see http://www.circresaha.org]). Moreover, transfection of NF-{kappa}B decoy ODNs did not alter bax protein under hypoxic conditions. Thus, the ratio of bcl-2 to bax was significantly increased in endothelial cells transfected with NF-{kappa}B decoy ODNs as compared with scrambled decoy ODNs (normoxia, 100%; hypoxia, 42±5%; hypoxia+scrambled decoy, 41±6%; hypoxia+NF-{kappa}B decoy, 88±6%; *P<0.01 versus hypoxia or hypoxia+scrambled decoy; n=6 per group calculated from 6 independent experiments). In addition, to test whether the attenuation of the decrease in bcl-2 protein by NF-{kappa}B decoy ODNs is due to a change in transcription level, we performed Northern blot analysis. As shown in Figure 6Down, bcl-2 mRNA was significantly decreased in endothelial cells under hypoxic conditions as compared with normoxic conditions (P<0.01). Consistent with the results of protein level, transfection of NF-{kappa}B decoy ODNs significantly abolished the decrease in bcl-2 mRNA as compared with scrambled decoy ODNs (Figure 6Down, P<0.01).



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Figure 5. A, Typical example of Western blot of bcl-2 (29 kDa) and tubulin (55 kDa) proteins in endothelial cells transfected with decoy ODNs at 48 hours after transfection. B, Percentage change in protein level of bcl-2 in endothelial cells transfected with decoy ODNs at 48 hours after transfection. Definitions as in Figure 2BUp. n=6 for group calculated from 6 independent experiments. *P<0.01 vs hypoxia. C, Typical example of Western blot of bcl-2 (29 kDa) and tubulin (55 kDa) proteins in endothelial cells treated with PDTC at 48 hours after transfection. D, Percentage change in protein level of bcl-2 in endothelial cells treated with PDTC at 48 hours after transfection. Normoxia indicates untreated endothelial cells cultured under normoxic conditions; hypoxia, untreated endothelial cells cultured under hypoxic conditions; and PDTC, endothelial cells treated with PDTC cultured under hypoxic conditions. n=6 for each group calculated from 6 independent experiments. *P<0.01 vs hypoxia.



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Figure 6. Typical example of Northern blot of bcl-2 mRNA (A) and 28S rRNA (B) in endothelial cells transfected with decoy ODNs at 48 hours after transfection. C, Percentage changes in bcl-2 mRNA in endothelial cells transfected with decoy ODNs at 48 hours after transfection. Definitions as in Figure 2BUp. n=6 for group calculated from 6 independent experiments. *P<0.01 vs hypoxia.

To confirm whether bcl-2 can act as an antiapoptotic factor in endothelial cell death induced by hypoxia, we transfected human bcl-2 expression vector into endothelial cells. Expectedly, transfection of human bcl-2 gene resulted in significant inhibition of cell death induced by hypoxia (Figure 7ADown, P<0.01). Apoptotic cells were also significantly decreased by transfection of bcl-2 gene as assessed by DNA fragmentation ratio (Figure 7BDown, P<0.01). The degree of inhibition of endothelial cell death and apoptosis by bcl-2 gene was similar to that by transfection of NF-{kappa}B decoy ODNs.



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Figure 7. Inhibitory effect of overexpression of human bcl-2 gene on percentage change in apoptotic cells (A) and ratio of DNA fragmentation (B) induced by hypoxia at 48 hours after transfection. Definitions as in Figure 2BUp. n=6 for group calculated from 6 independent experiments. *P<0.01 vs hypoxia.

In Vivo Transfection of NF-{kappa}B Decoy ODNs Into Intact Carotid Artery After Reperfusion Injury
In vitro studies demonstrated that activation of NF-{kappa}B in response to hypoxia induced endothelial cell death through the suppression of bcl-2. However, none of the reports have mentioned the role of NF-{kappa}B in the regulation of endothelium in vivo. Thus, we transfected NF-{kappa}B decoy ODNs into rat intact carotid artery after reperfusion injury. As previously demonstrated,22 23 ODNs could be transfected into endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells by HVJ-liposome method under a higher pressure. In contrast, at lower perfusion pressure, endothelial cells were mainly transfected (data not shown). As shown in Figure 8Down, reperfusion injury was associated with a significant increase in endothelial apoptosis at 24 hours after transfection as assessed by TUNEL staining (P<0.01), whereas few TUNEL-positive cells could be detected in normal endothelium. Of importance, NF-{kappa}B decoy ODNs treatment markedly decreased TUNEL-positive endothelial cells at 24 hours after reperfusion, whereas no difference was observed between scrambled decoy ODN-treated and untransfected rats (Figure 8EDown).



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Figure 8. Typical example of TUNEL-positive endothelial cells in blood vessels after intra-arterial administration of NF-{kappa}B decoy ODNs by HVJ-liposome method. Brown signal indicates TUNEL-positive endothelial cells. A, Untreated endothelial cells maintained under normoxic conditions. B, Untreated endothelial cells maintained under hypoxic conditions. C, Endothelial cells maintained under hypoxic conditions transfected with scrambled decoy ODNs. D, Endothelial cells maintained under hypoxic conditions transfected with NF-{kappa}B decoy ODNs. E, Inhibitory effect of intra-arterial administration of NF-{kappa}B decoy ODNs by HVJ-liposome method on number of TUNEL-positive endothelial cells. Control indicates untreated blood vessels; ischemia, untransfected blood vessels after reperfusion; SD, blood vessels after reperfusion transfected with scrambled decoy ODNs; and NF, blood vessels after reperfusion transfected with NF-{kappa}B decoy ODNs. n=8 to 10 per group. *P<0.01 vs ischemia.


*    Discussion
up arrowTop
up arrowAbstract
up arrowIntroduction
up arrowMaterials and Methods
up arrowResults
*Discussion
down arrowReferences
 
Endothelial cells are known to secrete various vasoactive substances. Recently, it has been hypothesized that endothelial cells may also modulate vascular function as a biological barrier, because many antiproliferative factors such as NO and vascular natriuretic peptides are secreted by endothelial cells.14 However, the molecular mechanisms by which factors can stimulate endothelial cell growth and maintain the endothelium are still unknown. This is of extreme importance, as intact endothelium acts as a sensor and transducer of signals and also provides a nonthrombogenic surface at the blood–vascular wall interface. Hence, the mechanisms that maintain the integrity of the endothelium in physiological and pathological states are of interest. In addition, it is apparent that dysfunction of endothelial cells may promote the migration of neutrophils and other blood-derived components.19 31 32 33 As migration of neutrophils and/or macrophages may be responsible for the development of myocardial reperfusion injury and atherosclerosis, it is critical to maintain the endothelium to prevent cardiovascular disease. Recently, a new concept, that regulation of cell death by apoptosis may be an important determinant of vessel structure, has been postulated. In response to a variety of stimuli and circumstances, cells have an intrinsic capacity to activate a gene-directed program that commits the cell to a suicidal death, described as apoptosis. It has become increasingly clear that the process of cell death by apoptosis is a relatively ubiquitous phenomenon observed in a variety of cell types, including endothelial cells.

Cell death is a major concern in various clinical entities such as ischemic diseases. Cell death by hypoxia has been generally believed to be manifested as necrosis.27 In contrast, recent biochemical observations have suggested the possibility of hypoxia-induced apoptosis.34 35 In this study, we demonstrated that hypoxic treatment induced endothelial cell death through the induction of apoptosis, consistent with previous findings.34 35 Of importance, the present studies revealed a significant decrease in bcl-2, an antiapoptotic factor, and no change in bax, a proapoptotic factor, by hypoxic treatment. As our present data demonstrated marked downregulation of bcl-2 under hypoxic conditions, the apoptosis induced by hypoxia may be due to an inappropriate decrease in antiapoptotic factors. These findings are further supported by the finding that overexpression of bcl-2 attenuated endothelial cell death and apoptosis under hypoxic conditions. More importantly, activation of NF-{kappa}B binding activity was also clearly observed in endothelial cells under hypoxic conditions. Numerous stimuli, including oxidative stress, tumor necrosis factor-{alpha}, and high glucose are well known to induce apoptosis in endothelial cells.20 35 36 37 Interestingly, these stimuli also increased NF-{kappa}B binding activity in endothelial cells, as previously demonstrated.38 39 40 Therefore, we hypothesized that increase in NF-{kappa}B binding activity might be involved in hypoxia-induced endothelial cell death.

To resolve this important question, we used the "decoy" approach in this study, because the decoy strategy is believed to be useful in analyzing the function of endogenous transcription factors.11 12 13 Expectedly, transfection of NF-{kappa}B decoy ODNs into endothelial cells attenuated endothelial cell death and apoptosis, which is similar to the effects of overexpression of bcl-2. More importantly, a significant decrease in bcl-2 mRNA and protein was also attenuated by the transfection of NF-{kappa}B decoy, but not scrambled decoy, ODNs. These findings revealed that activation of NF-{kappa}B induced by hypoxia caused endothelial cell death through bcl-2–dependent apoptosis. These findings are supported by the observation that another NF-{kappa}B inhibitor, PDTC, also inhibited endothelial apoptosis, increase in caspase-3–like activity, and bcl-2 downregulation induced by hypoxia. Moreover, the hypothesis that activation of NF-{kappa}B induces endothelial apoptosis was further confirmed by in vivo experiments. In this study, we failed to discover how NF-{kappa}B decreased bcl-2 expression. Although several reports documented that bcl-2 decreased NF-{kappa}B activity,41 42 there are publications showing that bcl-2 overexpression activates NF-{kappa}B by promoting degradation of inhibitory {kappa}B.43 44 In contrast, none of the studies revealed the effect of NF-{kappa}B on bcl-2 expression. Further studies about the promoter of bcl-2 gene would elucidate the role of NF-{kappa}B in regulation of bcl-2. Overall, the exact role of NF-{kappa}B in the apoptotic pathways is still controversial. In general, NF-{kappa}B has been believed to inhibit apoptosis in the caspase-dependent pathways, because numerous reports documented antiapoptotic actions of NF-{kappa}B.13 45 46 In contrast, in other cells, including endothelial cells, NF-{kappa}B has been reported to promote apoptosis.11 12 20 35 36 37 Probably, cell fate controlled by NF-{kappa}B might be dependent on cell type or death stimulators. Unfortunately, the present study cannot explain the discrepancy in the role of NF-{kappa}B among various cells.

The fact that hypoxia induced endothelial cell death through NF-{kappa}B activation is extremely important, given that migration of leukocytes/neutrophils plays a pivotal role in the development of myocardial reperfusion injury and atherosclerosis.19 31 32 33 Disruption of endothelium in response to hypoxia may be responsible for the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. Indeed, the effective blockade of a series of cytokine and adhesion molecule genes during the initial acute phase of reperfusion by in vivo transfection of NF-{kappa}B decoy ODNs results in a subsequent inhibitory effect on the development of myocardial infarction.10 The functional role of endothelium as a biological barrier was supported by the observation that migration and/or accumulation of neutrophils into the infarcted area could be blocked by NF-{kappa}B decoy, but not scrambled decoy, ODN treatment, as assessed by cytohistochemical technique.10 A similar idea was also proposed by Sata and Walsh.47 They demonstrated that tumor necrosis factor-{alpha}, a well-known stimulator of NF-{kappa}B, decreased the function of endothelium as a barrier against the migration of macrophages and leukocytes through the suppression of Fas-ligand expression. The findings that two important factors related to apoptosis (Fas ligand and bcl-2) were downregulated in a NF-{kappa}B–dependent manner in response to hypoxia might be critical to understanding the pathophysiology of endothelial dysfunction in various diseases. Further studies are necessary to clarify the role of NF-{kappa}B in the expression of other apoptosis-related molecules, such as Bcl-xL.

Here, using a decoy approach, we demonstrated that activation of NF-{kappa}B by hypoxia induced human aortic endothelial cell death and apoptosis through the suppression of an antiapoptotic molecule, bcl-2. NF-{kappa}B–mediated endothelial cell apoptosis induced by hypoxia may be involved in the pathogenesis of ischemic cardiovascular diseases such as reperfusion injury and atherosclerosis.


*    Acknowledgments
 
This work was partially supported by grants from Japan Health Sciences Foundation, the Hoan-sya Foundation, and the Japan Cardiovascular Research Foundation; a Japan Heart Foundation Research Grant; a Grant-in-Aid from the Tokyo Biochemical Research Foundation; and a Grant-in-Aid from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture. We are grateful to Prof Y. Tsujimoto (Osaka University) for the kind gift of the human bcl-2 gene. We thank Rie Kosai and Michiko Tamakoshi for their excellent technical assistance.

Received February 25, 2000; accepted March 21, 2000.


*    References
up arrowTop
up arrowAbstract
up arrowIntroduction
up arrowMaterials and Methods
up arrowResults
up arrowDiscussion
*References
 
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