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Active HIF-1 in the normal human retina.
- Source :
-
The journal of histochemistry and cytochemistry : official journal of the Histochemistry Society [J Histochem Cytochem] 2010 Mar; Vol. 58 (3), pp. 247-54. Date of Electronic Publication: 2009 Nov 09. - Publication Year :
- 2010
-
Abstract
- A unique feature of the retina is the presence of photoreceptors, which require an enormous amount of oxygen for the conversion of light to an electrical signal. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1alpha) is a transcription factor that is the master regulator of cellular adaptation to low oxygen tension. Only in hypoxic conditions is HIF-1alpha protein stabilized and translocated to the nucleus, where it induces transcription of target genes involved in oxygen delivery and energy metabolism. We hypothesized that HIF-1alpha is constitutively stabilized and active in the normal human retina. We investigated the cellular distribution of HIF-1alpha and the expression of its downstream targets, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), glucose transporter 1 (GLUT-1), and carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX), by immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting in the retina of normal rats and human donor eyes. Both human and rat retinas displayed prominent staining of HIF-1alpha in nuclei of most cell types in inner and outer nuclear layers and the ganglion cell layer, a cellular distribution pattern which was confirmed in human retina by immunoblotting of nuclear extracts. A negative correlation was found between HIF-1alpha protein levels and postmortem times. In human retina, staining of VEGF, GLUT-1, and CAIX was found. Our observations indicate that active HIF-1 signaling occurs constitutively in the normal human and rat retina, suggesting that HIF-1 has a physiological role in the retina.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1551-5044
- Volume :
- 58
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- The journal of histochemistry and cytochemistry : official journal of the Histochemistry Society
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 19901273
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1369/jhc.2009.953786