J Appl Physiol 98: 722-731, 2005.
First published October 22, 2004; doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00715.2004
8750-7587/05 $8.00
HIGHLIGHTED TOPICS
Pulmonary Circulation and Hypoxia
Activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, Akt, and mammalian target of rapamycin is necessary for hypoxia-induced pulmonary artery adventitial fibroblast proliferation
Evgenia V. Gerasimovskaya,
Doug A. Tucker, and
Kurt R. Stenmark
Developmental Lung Biology Laboratory, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado
Submitted 9 July 2004
; accepted in final form 18 October 2004
In contrast to cell types in which exposure to hypoxia causes a general reduction of metabolic activity, a remarkable feature of pulmonary artery adventitial fibroblasts is their ability to proliferate in response to hypoxia. Previous studies have suggested that ERK1/2, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), Akt, and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) are activated by hypoxia and play a role in a variety of cell responses. However, the pathways involved in mediating hypoxia-induced proliferation are largely unknown. Using pharmacological inhibitors, we established that PI3K-Akt, mTOR-p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase (p70S6K), and EKR1/2 signaling pathways play a critical role in hypoxia-induced adventitial fibroblast proliferation. We found that exposure of serum-starved fibroblasts to 3% O2 resulted in a time-dependent activation of PI3K and transient phosphorylation of Akt. However, activation of PI3K was not required for activation of ERK1/2, implying a parallel involvement of these pathways in the proliferative response of fibroblasts to hypoxia. We found that hypoxia induced significant increases in mTOR, p70S6K, 4E-BP1, and S6 ribosomal protein phosphorylation, as well as dramatic increases in p70S6K activity. The activation of p70S6K/S6 pathway was sensitive to inhibition by rapamycin and LY294002, indicating that mTOR and PI3K/Akt are upstream signaling regulators. However, the magnitude of hypoxia-induced p70S6K activity and phosphorylation suggests involvement of additional signaling pathways. Thus our data demonstrate that hypoxia-induced adventitial fibroblast proliferation requires activation and interaction of PI3K, Akt, mTOR, p70S6K, and ERK1/2 and provide evidence for hypoxic regulation of protein translational pathways in cells exhibiting the capability to proliferate under hypoxic conditions.
pulmonary hypertension; protein synthesis; environmental stress; oxygen sensing; vascular remodeling
Address for reprint requests and other correspondence: K. R. Stenmark, Professor of Pediatrics, Univ. of Colorado Health Sciences Center, 4200 E. 9th Ave., Box B131, Denver, CO 80262 (E-mail: Kurt.Stenmark{at}UCHSC.edu)
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Copyright © 2005 by the American Physiological Society.