Signal pathway of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha phosphorylation and its interaction with von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor protein during ischemia in MiaPaCa-2 pancreatic cancer cells.

PURPOSE AND EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Previously, we observed that the activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK1) is mediated through the activation of apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) as a result of the reactive oxygen species-mediated dissociation of glutaredoxin and thioredoxin from ASK1. In this study, we examined whether p38 MAPK and JNK1 are involved in the accumulation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) during ischemia. Human pancreatic cancer MiaPaCa-2 cells were exposed to low glucose (0.1 mmol/L) with hypoxia (0.1% O(2)). RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS During ischemia, p38 MAPK and JNK1 were activated in MiaPaCa-2 pancreatic cancer cells. The activated p38 MAPK, but not JNK1, phosphorylated HIF-1alpha. Data from in vivo binding assay of von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor protein with HIF-1alpha suggests that the p38-mediated phosphorylation of HIF-1alpha contributed to the inhibition of HIF-1alpha and von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor protein interaction during ischemia. SB203580, a specific inhibitor of p38 MAPK, inhibited HIF-1alpha accumulation during ischemia, probably resulting from the ubiquitination and degradation of HIF-1alpha.