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Updated: Jun 6, 2026
Induction of Hypoxia in Living Frog and Zebrafish Embryos
Published on: June 26, 2017
[Effects of acute hypoxia and intermittent hypoxic acclimatization on vascular endothelial growth factor gene
Wei Chen1, Jia-Pei Chen, Shi-Li Ge
1Key Research Laboratory of Wound Repair, 304th Hospital of PLA, Beijing 100037, China.
Aim:
To explore the influence of acute hypoxia and intermittent hypoxic acclimatization on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) gene expression in HepG2 cells underlying their possible biological significance.
Methods:
HepG2 was cultured in 1% O2 for 24 hours, then in 21% O2 for another 24 hours, which composed a hypoxic exposure cycle. After 6 cycles, HepG2 cells reached the status of hypoxic acclimatization. Gene transcription and translation of VEGF and HIF-1alpha were detected with Northern blot and Western blot methods.
Results:
Acute hypoxia could induce gene transcription and translation of VEGF and HIF-1alpha. After intermittent hypoxia acclimatization, the contents of VEGF and HIF-1alpha mRNA were 108.6% +/- 17.7% and 116.7% +/- 19.8% of those in normoxic control cells, while the protein contents were significantly increased to 1.4 and 2.7 times of those in control cells, respectively (P < 0.05). The protein expression levels of VEGF and HIF-1alpha were decreased in cells subjected to hypoxia acclimatization compared to cells treated with acute hypoxia.
Conclusion:
When HepG2 cells reached the status of hypoxic acclimatization, the acute hypoxia-induced increment of VEGF gene transcription and translation in cells were inhibited, in which HIF-1alpha might play an important role.
