Erythropoietin (EPO) is produced in the kidney and in fetal liver in response to hypoxia as well as to CoCl2. The EPO protein and mRNA can be induced in response to both stimuli in the human hepatoma cell (HCC) lines Hep 3B and Hep G2. An oxygen sensing mechanism in which a ligand dependent conformational change in the heme protein produces H2O2 in respone to either hypoxia or Cobalt has been demonstrated. However, an intriguing question can be raised as to why some HCC sublines, such as Hep G2 and Hep 3B are capable of expressing EPO gene, whereas in other HCC sublines, such as J5 and SK-Hep-I are completely devoid of the ability to express EPO gene. Along this line, does ¡§differentiation status¡¨ of these HCC cells play a pivotal role in regulating the expression of EPO gene? Next in line, how a differentiation-associated upregulation of g-glutemylcysteine synthetase (g-GCS), which tightly regulating the biosynthesis of endogenous glutathione(GSH) can modulate the expression of EPO. The objective of this research project was designed to address all these questions. Reported herein are several lines of evidence to demonstrate that endogenous GSH contents do play a pivotal role in the control and regulation of the expression of EPO gene. Firstly, using a group of five HCC lines with varying degrees of differentiation as the experimental model, we demonstrated that the endogenous GSH contents of these HCC cells were differentially upregulated depending on the degree of differentiation with an order of abundance being Hep G2> Hep 3B> J5> Mahlavu> SK-Hep-I. Coincidently, we also found that g-GCS heavy subunit activities as well as its mRNA correlated precisely with this order. Among these HCC cell lines tested, only two well-differentiated sublines, Hep G2 and Hep 3B expressed EPO gene implying that the latter process was dependent upon GSH and suggested a notion that a threshold level might be required for its optimal reactivation. Secondly, to further obtain the evidence to substantiate this possible role of GSH, we then supplemented to the cell culture media with an excessive quantity of nonlethal N-acetylcysteine for the purpose of reinforcing the endogenous GSH biosynthesis. Interestingly, we found that this manipulation could revert the reactivation of EPO gene in cell lines, such as J5 and SK-Hep-I, in which their EPO gene expressions were ortherwise shut down under a normal circumstance. Finally, we were able to demonstrated using RT-PCR and western blotting that the expression of EPO gene was reverted in GCS30, a SK-Hep-I subline that was permanently transfected with g-GCSh and is capable of overly expressing endogenous GSH. Taken together, we demonstrated herein for the first time that, besides hypoxia and CoCl2, endogenous GSH contents can also act as a positive regulator for the expression of EPO gene. The underlying mechanism of how GSH exerts its action in the regulation of EPO expression awaits further clarification.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NSYSU/oai:NSYSU:etd-0709102-010900 |
| Date | 09 July 2002 |
| Creators | Lo, Wei-Ching |
| Contributors | Tsan-Zon Liu, Chung-Lung Cho, Jiin-Tsuey Cheng |
| Publisher | NSYSU |
| Source Sets | NSYSU Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Archive |
| Language | Cholon |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.lib.nsysu.edu.tw/ETD-db/ETD-search/view_etd?URN=etd-0709102-010900 |
| Rights | withheld, Copyright information available at source archive |
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