Abstract
Previous results have indicated that mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium (mitoKATP) channels are associated with the hypoxic proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). However, the mechanism underlying the promotive effects of mitoKATP channels on cell proliferation in response to hypoxia remains unknown. mitoKATP channel opening results in a collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential and generation of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS). As hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) is a critical oxygen sensor and major transcriptional regulator of the hypoxic adaptive response, the current study assessed whether mitoKATP opening contributes to the chronic proliferation of human PASMCs (hPASMCs) in collaboration with HIF-1α and its downstream targets under hypoxic conditions. The present study demonstrated that there was crosstalk between mitoKATP channels and HIF-1α signaling in PASMCs under hypoxic conditions. The results suggest that mitoKATP channels are involved in the proliferation of PASMCs during hypoxia through upregulation of the ROS/HIF/microRNA-210/iron-sulfur cluster protein signaling pathway.