HIF-1α Upregulation due to Depletion of the Free Ubiquitin Pool

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha (HIF-1 alpha), which transactivates a variety of hypoxia-induced genes, is rapidly degraded under nomoxia through the hydroxylation-ubiquitination-proteasome pathway. In this study, we addressed how HIF-1 alpha is stabilized by proteasome inhibitors. The ubiquitin pool was rapidly reduced after proteasome inhibition, followed by the accumulation of non-ubiquitinated HIF-1 alpha. The poly-ubiquitination of HIF-1 alpha was resumed by restoration of free ubiquitin, which suggests that the HIF-1 alpha stabilization under proteasome inhibition is attributed to depletion of the free ubiquitin pool. Ni2+ and Zn2+ also stabilized HIF-1 alpha with depletion of the free ubiquitin pool and these effects of metal ions were attenuated by restoration of free ubiquitin. Ni2+ and Zn2+ may disturb the recycling of free ubiquitin, as MG132 does. Based on these results, the state of the ubiquitin pool seems to be another critical factor determining the cellular level of HIF-1 alpha.