Hypoxia promotes cell proliferation by modulating E2F1 in chicken pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells

In this study, we sought to investigate the expression of the transcription factor E2F1 in chicken pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells upon hypoxia exposure, as well as the role that E2F1 played in the regulation of cell proliferation. Isolated chicken pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells were subjected to hypoxia or normoxia for indicated time points. Cell viability, DNA synthesis, cell cycle profile, and expression of E2F1 were analyzed. The results showed that hypoxia promoted cell proliferation and DNA synthesis which was accompanied by an increased S phase entry and upregulation of E2F1 at mRNA and protein levels. Using siRNA technology, we demonstrated that gene inactivation of endogenous E2F1 abolished hypoxia-induced cell proliferation, DNA synthesis, and S phase entry compared with negative siRNA transfected cells. These results suggest that hypoxia-induced proliferation is mediated by inducing E2F1 in chicken pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells.