Conditions Of Oxygen Deprivation Research Articles

SUBFUNCTIONALIZATION OF CYPRINID HYPOXIA-INDUCIBLE FACTORS FOR ROLES IN DEVELOPMENT AND OXYGEN SENSING

Among vertebrates, teleost fishes have evolved the most impressive adaptations to variable oxygen tensions in water (Shoubridge and Hochachka 1980; Nilsson and Randall 2010). Under conditions of oxygen deprivation (hypoxia), major changes in gene expression are mediated by hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF alpha). Here we show that hif alpha genes were duplicated in the teleost specific whole-genome duplication. Although one of each paralogous gene pair was lost in most teleosts, both copies were retained in cyprinids. Computational analyses suggest that these duplicates have become subfunctionalized with complementary changes in coding and regulatory sequences within each paralogous gene pair. We tested our predictions with comparisons of hif alpha transcription in zebrafish, a cyprinid, and sturgeon, an outgroup that diverged from teleosts before the duplication event. Our experiments revealed distinct transcriptional profiles in the cyprinid duplicates: while one of each paralogous pair maintained the ancestral developmental response, the other was more sensitive to changes in oxygen tension. These results demonstrate the subfunctionalization of cyprinid hif alpha paralogs for specialized roles in development and the hypoxic stress response.

Highlights from Recent Cancer Literature

Highlights from Recent Cancer Literature

Overexpression of Genes Encoding Glycolytic Enzymes in Corynebacterium glutamicum Enhances Glucose Metabolism and Alanine Production under Oxygen Deprivation Conditions

We previously reported that Corynebacterium glutamicum strain ΔldhAΔppc+alaD+gapA, overexpressing glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase-encoding gapA, shows significantly improved glucose consumption and alanine formation under oxygen deprivation conditions (T. Jojima, M. Fujii, E. Mori, M. Inui, and H. Yukawa, Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 87:159-165, 2010). In this study, we employ stepwise overexpression and chromosomal integration of a total of four genes encoding glycolytic enzymes (herein referred to as glycolytic genes) to demonstrate further successive improvements in C. glutamicum glucose metabolism under oxygen deprivation. In addition to gapA, overexpressing pyruvate kinase-encoding pyk and phosphofructokinase-encoding pfk enabled strain GLY2/pCRD500 to realize respective 13% and 20% improved rates of glucose consumption and alanine formation compared to GLY1/pCRD500. Subsequent overexpression of glucose-6-phosphate isomerase-encoding gpi in strain GLY3/pCRD500 further improved its glucose metabolism. Notably, both alanine productivity and yield increased after each overexpression step. After 48 h of incubation, GLY3/pCRD500 produced 2,430 mM alanine at a yield of 91.8%. This was 6.4-fold higher productivity than that of the wild-type strain. Intracellular metabolite analysis showed that gapA overexpression led to a decreased concentration of metabolites upstream of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, suggesting that the overexpression resolved a bottleneck in glycolysis. Changing ratios of the extracellular metabolites by overexpression of glycolytic genes resulted in reduction of the intracellular NADH/NAD(+) ratio, which also plays an important role on the improvement of glucose consumption. Enhanced alanine dehydrogenase activity using a high-copy-number plasmid further accelerated the overall alanine productivity. Increase in glycolytic enzyme activities is a promising approach to make drastic progress in growth-arrested bioprocesses.

Improvement of the Redox Balance Increasesl-Valine Production by Corynebacterium glutamicum under Oxygen Deprivation Conditions

Production of L-valine under oxygen deprivation conditions by Corynebacterium glutamicum lacking the lactate dehydrogenase gene ldhA and overexpressing the L-valine biosynthesis genes ilvBNCDE was repressed. This was attributed to imbalanced cofactor production and consumption in the overall L-valine synthesis pathway: two moles of NADH was generated and two moles of NADPH was consumed per mole of L-valine produced from one mole of glucose. In order to solve this cofactor imbalance, the coenzyme requirement for L-valine synthesis was converted from NADPH to NADH via modification of acetohydroxy acid isomeroreductase encoded by ilvC and introduction of Lysinibacillus sphaericus leucine dehydrogenase in place of endogenous transaminase B, encoded by ilvE. The intracellular NADH/NAD(+) ratio significantly decreased, and glucose consumption and L-valine production drastically improved. Moreover, L-valine yield increased and succinate formation decreased concomitantly with the decreased intracellular redox state. These observations suggest that the intracellular NADH/NAD(+) ratio, i.e., reoxidation of NADH, is the primary rate-limiting factor for L-valine production under oxygen deprivation conditions. The L-valine productivity and yield were even better and by-products derived from pyruvate further decreased as a result of a feedback resistance-inducing mutation in the acetohydroxy acid synthase encoded by ilvBN. The resultant strain produced 1,470 mM L-valine after 24 h with a yield of 0.63 mol mol of glucose(-1), and the L-valine productivity reached 1,940 mM after 48 h.

Luminal and basal-like breast cancer cells show increased migration induced by hypoxia, mediated by an autocrine mechanism

BackgroundSome breast cancer patients receiving anti-angiogenic treatment show increased metastases, possibly as a result of induced hypoxia. The effect of hypoxia on tumor cell migration was assessed in selected luminal, post-EMT and basal-like breast carcinoma cell lines.MethodsMigration was assessed in luminal (MCF-7), post-EMT (MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-435S), and basal-like (MDA-MB-468) human breast carcinoma cell lines under normal and oxygen-deprived conditions, using a collagen-based assay. Cell proliferation was determined, secreted cytokine and chemokine levels were measured using flow-cytometry and a bead-based immunoassay, and the hypoxic genes HIF-1α and CA IX were assessed using PCR. The functional effect of tumor-cell conditioned medium on the migration of neutrophil granulocytes (NG) was tested.ResultsHypoxia caused increased migratory activity but not proliferation in all tumor cell lines, involving the release and autocrine action of soluble mediators. Conditioned medium (CM) from hypoxic cells induced migration in normoxic cells. Hypoxia changed the profile of released inflammatory mediators according to cell type. Interleukin-8 was produced only by post-EMT and basal-like cell lines, regardless of hypoxia. MCP-1 was produced by MDA-MB-435 and -468 cells, whereas IL-6 was present only in MDA-MB-231. IL-2, TNF-α, and NGF production was stimulated by hypoxia in MCF-7 cells. CM from normoxic and hypoxic MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-435S cells and hypoxic MCF-7 cells, but not MDA-MB-468, induced NG migration.ConclusionsHypoxia increases migration by the autocrine action of released signal substances in selected luminal and basal-like breast carcinoma cell lines which might explain why anti-angiogenic treatment can worsen clinical outcome in some patients.

Abstract 4087: Metabolic changes associated with acquired cisplatin resistance

Abstract Although cisplatin is the drug of choice in treating lung cancer patients, acquired resistance appears to be a common and serious drawback to its effectiveness in the clinic. Using two pairs of cisplatin sensitive and resistant lung cancer cell lines developed in vitro, we have found significantly lowered hexokinase II (HKII) levels in both resistant cell lines. As a consequence of lowered HKII, these cell lines, when grown under anaerobic conditions, are markedly more sensitive to the glycolytic inhibitor 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG) than their parental cell lines from which they were derived. This was our first indication that lowered HKII levels in these cisplatin resistant cells has metabolic consequences in different environmental conditions. Thus, it appears that a fundamental difference in glucose metabolism is associated with resistance to cisplatin in these cell lines. It is the aim of this study to explore whether reduced HKII is a common occurrence in cisplatin resistant cells and whether these differences uncover metabolic targets that can be exploited for therapeutic gain. Much like the Atkins diet, when carbohydrates are lowered or glycolysis is inhibited, other sources of energy such as fatty acids and amino acids can be used to maintain cell viability. A trypan blue cytotoxicity assay was used to determine the sensitivity of our cisplatin resistant cell lines to a pharmacological inhibitor, etomoxir, toward fatty acid oxidation. Thus, we tested and found that one of these cisplatin resistant cell lines is sensitive to interference with fatty acid oxidation. Next, we placed our cell lines in glutamine free medium, and found that the second cisplatin resistant cell line is sensitive to glutamine deprivation. Moreover, when lactate production was measured in anaerobic conditions, cisplatin resistant cell lines produced less lactate when challenged with the glycolytic inhibitor, 2DG, than their cisplatin sensitive parental cell lines. Overall, our results indicate that lowered HKII levels in two cisplatin resistant cell lines appear to be associated with a decreased reliance on glucose metabolism, with a shift to either fatty acid oxidation or glutaminolysis. Moreover, these cisplatin resistant cells are sensitive to glycolytic inhibition when placed in oxygen-deprived conditions. Thus, these new metabolic targets may be exploited for therapeutic gain in the clinic. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4087. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-4087

Corynebacterium glutamicum Tailored for Efficient Isobutanol Production

We recently engineered Corynebacterium glutamicum for aerobic production of 2-ketoisovalerate by inactivation of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, pyruvate:quinone oxidoreductase, transaminase B, and additional overexpression of the ilvBNCD genes, encoding acetohydroxyacid synthase, acetohydroxyacid isomeroreductase, and dihydroxyacid dehydratase. Based on this strain, we engineered C. glutamicum for the production of isobutanol from glucose under oxygen deprivation conditions by inactivation of l-lactate and malate dehydrogenases, implementation of ketoacid decarboxylase from Lactococcus lactis, alcohol dehydrogenase 2 (ADH2) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and expression of the pntAB transhydrogenase genes from Escherichia coli. The resulting strain produced isobutanol with a substrate-specific yield (Y(P/S)) of 0.60 ± 0.02 mol per mol of glucose. Interestingly, a chromosomally encoded alcohol dehydrogenase rather than the plasmid-encoded ADH2 from S. cerevisiae was involved in isobutanol formation with C. glutamicum, and overexpression of the corresponding adhA gene increased the Y(P/S) to 0.77 ± 0.01 mol of isobutanol per mol of glucose. Inactivation of the malic enzyme significantly reduced the Y(P/S), indicating that the metabolic cycle consisting of pyruvate and/or phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, malate dehydrogenase, and malic enzyme is responsible for the conversion of NADH + H+ to NADPH + H+. In fed-batch fermentations with an aerobic growth phase and an oxygen-depleted production phase, the most promising strain, C. glutamicum ΔaceE Δpqo ΔilvE ΔldhA Δmdh(pJC4ilvBNCD-pntAB)(pBB1kivd-adhA), produced about 175 mM isobutanol, with a volumetric productivity of 4.4 mM h⁻¹, and showed an overall Y(P/S) of about 0.48 mol per mol of glucose in the production phase.

From spinach scare to cancer care

In recent years, Salmonella has tainted foods including spinach, peanut butter and eggs, sickening thousands of people in the process. But researchers hope that these microbes will make headlines for a better reason: curing cancer. They want to harness Salmonella's special ability to thrive in oxygen-deprived conditions to target regions of solid tumors that are normally immune to conventional therapies. Elie Dolgin reports.

VEGF masks BNIP3-mediated apoptosis of hypoxic endothelial cells

Hypoxia results in the apoptotic death of myocytes, neurons, and epithelial cells, through the actions of Bcl-2 and Nineteen kilodalton Interacting Protein-3 (BNIP3). On the contrary, endothelial cells are especially adept at surviving conditions of oxygen deprivation via up-regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) the most potent endothelial survival factor. Both VEGF and BNIP3 expression are transcriptionally regulated by hypoxia inducible factor and may antagonize each other's affects in endothelial cells (ECs). Since factors that promote and inhibit apoptosis may be expressed at the same time in endothelial cells under hypoxic conditions, we decided to investigate whether VEGF and BNIP3 have opposing actions in endothelial cells. Human microvascular endothelial cells were exposed to hypoxic conditions in a Billups-Rothenburg chamber. Under hypoxic conditions BNIP3 expression by endothelial cells increased as measured by real-time PCR and immunoblot. After 48 h of hypoxia, EC apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry and was lower than in corresponding normoxia serum starved controls. The increase in EC survival under hypoxic conditions corresponded with an increase in the expression of VEGF. Under normoxic conditions adenoviral BNIP3 over-expression promoted apoptosis of ECs; however, recombinant VEGF (100 pg/ml) antagonized the BNIP3 apoptosis promoting affects. SiRNA knockdown of VEGF expression by hypoxic ECs resulted in increased apoptosis with a concomitant increase in BNIP3 expression. SiRNA knockdown of BNIP3 expression by hypoxic ECs reduced the increase in EC apoptosis as a result of VEGF knockdown. We conclude that under hypoxic conditions VEGF counteracts and masks the apoptosis promoting affects of BNIP3.

Identification of mannose uptake and catabolism genes in Corynebacterium glutamicum and genetic engineering for simultaneous utilization of mannose and glucose

Here, focus is on Corynebacterium glutamicum mannose metabolic genes with the aim to improve this industrially important microorganism's ability to ferment mannose present in mixed sugar substrates. cgR_0857 encodes C. glutamicum's protein with 36% amino acid sequence identity to mannose 6-phosphate isomerase encoded by manA of Escherichia coli. Its deletion mutant did not grow on mannose and exhibited noticeably reduced growth on glucose as sole carbon sources. In effect, C. glutamicum manA is not only essential for growth on mannose but also important in glucose metabolism. A double deletion mutant of genes encoding glucose and fructose permeases (ptsG and ptsF, respectively) of the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system (PTS) was not able to grow on mannose unlike the respective single deletion mutants with mannose utilization ability. A mutant deficient in ptsH, a general PTS gene, did not utilize mannose. These indicate that the glucose-PTS and fructose-PTS are responsible for mannose uptake in C. glutamicum. When cultured with a glucose and mannose mixture, mannose utilization of manA-overexpressing strain CRM1 was significantly higher than that of its wild-type counterpart, but with a strong preference for glucose. ptsF-overexpressing strain CRM2 co-utilized mannose and glucose, but at a total sugar consumption rate much lower than that of the wild-type strain and CRM1. Strain CRM3 overexpressing both manA and ptsF efficiently co-utilized mannose and glucose. Under oxygen-deprived conditions, high volumetric productivity of organic acids concomitant with the simultaneous consumption of the mixed sugars was achieved by the densely packed growth-arrested CRM3 cells.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of 3-substituted-benzofuran-2-carboxylic esters as a novel class of ischemic cell death inhibitors

A series of 3-substituted-benzofuran-2-carboxylic esters was synthesized and evaluated for biological activity as ischemic cell death inhibitors in H9c2 cells and rat primary cardiac myocytes under conditions of oxygen and glucose deprivation. The introduction of a sulfur atom at the three-position substituent of the benzofuran ring markedly improved ischemic cell death inhibitory potency. In particular, 3-[2-(4-nitro-phenylsulfanyl)-acetylamino]-benzofuran-2-carboxylic acid ester (10) (EC50=0.532μM, cell death=6.18%) and 4-chloro-3-[3-(pyridin-2-ylsulfanyl)-propionylamino]-benzofuran-2-carboxylic ester (18) (EC50=0.557μM, cell death=7.02%) were shown to be the most potent in this series of benzofuran analogs.

First Aid Kit for Hypoxic Survival: Sensors and Strategies

Survival success under conditions of acute oxygen deprivation depends on efficiency of the central and peripheral chemoreception, optimization of oxygen extraction from the hypoxic environment and its delivery to the periphery, and adjustments of energy production and consumption. This article uses a comparative approach to assess the efficiency of adaptive strategies used by anoxia-tolerant and hypoxia-sensitive species to support survival during the first minutes to 1 h of oxygen deprivation. An aquatic environment is much more demanding in terms of diurnal and seasonal variations of the ambient oxygen availability from anoxia to hyperoxia than is an air environment. Therefore, fishes and aquatic turtles have developed a number of adaptive responses, which are lacking in most of the terrestrial mammals, to cope with these extreme conditions. These include efficient central and peripheral chemoreception, acute changes in respiratory rate and amplitude, and acute increase of the gas-exchange interface. A special set of adaptive mechanisms are engaged in reduction of the energy expenditure of the major oxygen-consuming organs: the brain and the heart. Both reduction of ATP consumption and a switch to alterative energy sources contribute to the maintenance of ATP and ion balance in hypoxia-tolerant animals. Hypoxia and hyperoxia are conditions favoring development of oxidative stress. Efficient protection from oxidation in anoxia-tolerant species includes reduction in the glutamate levels in the brain, stabilization of the mitochondrial function, and maintenance of nitric oxide production under conditions of oxygen deprivation. We give an overview of the current state of knowledge on some selected molecular and cellular acute adaptive mechanisms. These include the mechanisms of chemoreception in adult and neonatal mammals and in fishes, acute metabolic adaptive responses in the brain, and the role of nitrite in the preservation of heart function under hypoxic conditions.

Femoral occlusion increases hypoxia‐inducible factor‐1α in dorsal root ganglion and hindlimb muscle

Hypoxia inducible factor‐1 (HIF‐1) has an important contribution to pathophysiological changes of homeostasis under conditions of oxygen deprivation as well as ischemia. We employed western blotting methods to examine effects of femoral occlusion on protein expression of HIF‐1α in dorsal root ganglion (DRG), different fiber types of muscle i.e. oxidative and glycolytic muscle. DMOG was used to enhance HIF‐1α activity following local intramuscular injection (IM). Our data show that HIF‐1α was increased in lumbar DRG after formal artery ligation by using a rat model in different time courses as compared with sham control (3.4±0.5 vs 1.1±0.1 fold at 6 hrs; 3.1±0.4 vs 1.2±0.2 fold at 24 hrs; 2.3±0.4 vs 1.1±0.2 fold at 72 hrs; p<0.05). This effect was mimicked by IM of DMOG (5.0±0.3 vs 1.3±0.2 fold at 24 hrs, p<0.05) in lumbar DRG. In contrast, HIF‐1α outside lumbar DRG was not altered, which suggests HIF‐1α was increased due to specifically localized hindlimb. In addition, HIF‐1α was increased in both red and white muscle after femoral occlusion compared with non‐occlusion control; however, the level of HIF‐1α was greater in white muscle as compared with red muscle. In conclusion, femoral occlusion increases HIF‐1α expression in DRG, and differentially increases HIF‐1α expression in different fiber types of muscle. We anticipate that HIF‐1α is likely to contribute to autonomic responses to activation of muscle afferents.

Pathophysiological Consequences of HIF Activation

Tissue fibrosis is associated with structural and functional changes that limit blood flow and oxygen availability. In the kidney, tubulointerstitial fibrosis, which leads to progressive destruction of renal tissue and irreversible loss of kidney function, is associated with reduced tissue oxygen levels and activation of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) signaling. Although cytoprotective in acute injury models, HIF-1 was found to promote fibrosis in an experimental model of chronic renal injury following unilateral ureteral obstruction. Pharmacological inhibition of lysyl oxidases phenocopied the effects of genetic HIF-1 ablation on cell motility in vitro and on fibrogenesis in vivo, suggesting that lysyl oxidases are important mediators of profibrotic HIF signaling. These findings support the notion that HIF-mediated cellular responses differ under conditions of acute and chronic oxygen deprivation. Under certain conditions, these responses may lead to further tissue destruction by promoting fibrogenesis.

Engineering of pentose transport in Corynebacterium glutamicum to improve simultaneous utilization of mixed sugars

Corynebacterium glutamicum strains CRA1 and CRX2 are able to grow on L-arabinose and D-xylose, respectively, as sole carbon sources. Nevertheless, they exhibit the major shortcoming that their sugar consumption appreciably declines at lower concentrations of these substrates. To address this, the C. glutamicum ATCC31831 L-arabinose transporter gene, araE, was independently integrated into both strains. Unlike its parental strain, resultant CRA1-araE was able to aerobically grow at low (3.6 g.l(-1)) L-arabinose concentrations. Interestingly, strain CRX2-araE grew 2.9-fold faster than parental CRX2 at low (3.6 g.l(-1)) D-xylose concentrations. The corresponding substrate consumption rates of CRA1-araE and CRX2-araE under oxygen-deprived conditions were 2.8- and 2.7-fold, respectively, higher than those of their respective parental strains. Moreover, CRA1-araE and CRX2-araE utilized their respective substrates simultaneously with D-glucose under both aerobic and oxygen-deprived conditions. Based on these observations, a platform strain, ACX-araE, for C. glutamicum-based mixed sugar utilization was designed. It harbored araBAD for L-arabinose metabolism, xylAB for D-xylose metabolism, D-cellobiose permease-encoding bglF317A, beta-glucosidase-encoding bglA and araE in its chromosomal DNA. In mineral medium containing a sugar mixture of D-glucose, D-xylose, L-arabinose, and D-cellobiose under oxygen-deprived conditions, strain ACX-araE simultaneously and completely consumed all sugars.

Transcriptional regulation of Corynebacterium glutamicum methionine biosynthesis genes in response to methionine supplementation under oxygen deprivation

Expression at the mRNA level of six methionine biosynthesis genes in Corynebacterium glutamicum cells under oxygen-deprived conditions was repressed by supplementation of medium with methionine. The repression was not observed in a mutant deficient in the TetR-type transcriptional repressor McbR. Analysis of transcriptional start sites of the methionine biosynthesis genes confirmed that McbR binding motifs exist in the promoter regions of all genes repressed by methionine supplementation. Furthermore, electrophoretic mobility shift assays revealed that not only S-adenosylhomocysteine but also S-adenosylmethionine affects binding of McbR to the promoter region of metY, suggesting that both of these methionine metabolites are involved in the regulation of methionine biosynthesis genes.

Simultaneous utilization of d-cellobiose, d-glucose, and d-xylose by recombinant Corynebacterium glutamicum under oxygen-deprived conditions

Corynebacterium glutamicum R was metabolically engineered to broaden its sugar utilization range to D-xylose and D-cellobiose contained in lignocellulose hydrolysates. The resultant recombinants expressed Escherichia coli xylA and xylB genes, encoding D-xylose isomerase and xylulokinase, respectively, for D-xylose utilization and expressed C. glutamicum R bglF317A and bglA genes, encoding phosphoenolpyruvate:carbohydrate phosphotransferase system (PTS) beta-glucoside-specific enzyme IIBCA component and phospho-beta-glucosidase, respectively, for D-cellobiose utilization. The genes were fused to the non-essential genomic regions distributed around the C. glutamicum R chromosome and were under the control of their respective constitutive promoter trc and tac that permitted their expression even in the presence of D-glucose. The enzyme activities of resulting recombinants increased with the increase in the number of respective integrated genes. Maximal sugar utilization was realized with strain X5C1 harboring five xylA-xylB clusters and one bglF317A-bglA cluster. In both D-cellobiose and D-xylose utilization, the sugar consumption rates by genomic DNA-integrated strain were faster than those by plasmid-bearing strain, respectively. In mineral medium containing 40 g l(-1) D-glucose, 20 g l(-1) D-xylose, and 10 g l(-1) D-cellobiose, strain X5C1 simultaneously and completely consumed these sugars within 12 h and produced predominantly lactic and succinic acids under growth-arrested conditions.

The global repressor SugR controls expression of genes of glycolysis and of the L-lactate dehydrogenase LdhA in Corynebacterium glutamicum.

The transcriptional regulator SugR from Corynebacterium glutamicum represses genes of the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system (PTS). Growth experiments revealed that the overexpression of sugR not only perturbed the growth of C. glutamicum on the PTS sugars glucose, fructose, and sucrose but also led to a significant growth inhibition on ribose, which is not taken up via the PTS. Chromatin immunoprecipitation combined with DNA microarray analysis and gel retardation experiments were performed to identify further target genes of SugR. Gel retardation analysis confirmed that SugR bound to the promoter regions of genes of the glycolytic enzymes 6-phosphofructokinase (pfkA), fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (fba), enolase (eno), pyruvate kinase (pyk), and NAD-dependent L-lactate dehydrogenase (ldhA). The deletion of sugR resulted in increased mRNA levels of eno, pyk, and ldhA in acetate medium. Enzyme activity measurements revealed that SugR-mediated repression affects the activities of PfkA, Fba, and LdhA in vivo. As the deletion of sugR led to increased LdhA activity under aerobic and under oxygen deprivation conditions, L-lactate production by C. glutamicum was determined. The overexpression of sugR reduced L-lactate production by about 25%, and sugR deletion increased L-lactate formation under oxygen deprivation conditions by threefold. Thus, SugR functions as a global repressor of genes of the PTS, glycolysis, and fermentative L-lactate dehydrogenase in C. glutamicum.

Group 2 sigma factor SigB of Corynebacterium glutamicum positively regulates glucose metabolism under conditions of oxygen deprivation.

The sigB gene of Corynebacterium glutamicum encodes a group 2 sigma factor of RNA polymerase. Under conditions of oxygen deprivation, the sigB gene is upregulated and cells exhibit high productivity of organic acids as a result of an elevated glucose consumption rate. Using DNA microarray and quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) analyses, we found that sigB disruption led to reduced transcript levels of genes involved in the metabolism of glucose into organic acids. This in turn resulted in retardation of glucose consumption by cells under conditions of oxygen deprivation. These results indicate that SigB is involved in positive regulation of glucose metabolism genes and enhances glucose consumption under conditions of oxygen deprivation. Moreover, sigB disruption reduced the transcript levels of genes involved in various cellular functions, including the glucose metabolism genes not only in the growth-arrested cells under conditions of oxygen deprivation but also in the cells during aerobic exponential growth, suggesting that SigB functions as another vegetative sigma factor.

Expression profiling of the cerebral ischemic and hypoxic response

In mammals, the major component in energy production is molecular oxygen. This has led to the development of several elaborate strategies that tightly regulate oxygen homeostasis in order to allow appropriate cell function and survival. However, a sustained drop in oxygen supply to neuronal tissue has detrimental consequences to cell functioning and survival. Disturbances in oxygen supply have been implicated in a number of CNS disorders that can be related to hypoxia or ischemia. On a cellular level, oxygen-deprived stress induces a multitude of spatially and temporally regulated responses, ranging from adapted channel activity to altered gene expression. Global analysis of expression changes over several time points and tissue regions or cells has already shed light on previous known and unknown biological processes and molecules. By combining knowledge from several different expression-profiling studies into one database, the first steps are made in unifying and categorizing the molecular response to oxygen-deprived conditions, such as stroke. In this review, some of the queries that can be extracted from the database are discussed in regard to the biological context.