Increased hypoxia-inducible factor-1α in striated muscle of tumor-bearing mice

Cancer cachexia is a progressive wasting disease resulting in significant effects on the quality of life and high mortality. Most studies on cancer cachexia have focused on skeletal muscle; however, the heart is now recognized as a major site of cachexia-related effects. To elucidate possible mechanisms, a proteomic study was performed on the left ventricles of colon-26 (C26) adenocarcinoma tumor-bearing mice. The results revealed several changes in proteins involved in metabolism. An integrated pathway analysis of the results revealed a common mediator in hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1 alpha). Work by other laboratories has shown that extensive metabolic restructuring in the C26 mouse model causes changes in gene expression that may be affected directly by HIF-1 alpha, such as glucose metabolic genes. M-mode echocardiography showed progressive decline in heart function by day 19, exhibited by significantly decreased ejection fraction and fractional shortening, along with posterior wall thickness. Using Western blot analysis, we confirmed that HIF-1 alpha is significantly upregulated in the heart, whereas there were no changes in its regulatory proteins, prolyl hydroxylase domain-containing protein 2 (PHD2) and von HippelLindau protein (VHL). PHD2 requires both oxygen and iron as cofactors for the hydroxylation of HIF-1 alpha, marking it for ubiquination via VHL and subsequent destruction by the proteasome complex. We examined venous blood gas values in the tumor-bearing mice and found significantly lower oxygen concentration compared with control animals in the third week after tumor inoculation. We also examined select skeletal muscles to determine whether they are similarly affected. In the diaphragm, extensor digitorum longus, and soleus, we found significantly increased HIF-1 alpha in tumor-bearing mice, indicating a hypoxic response, not only in the heart, but also in skeletal muscle. These results indicate that HIF-1 alpha may contribute, in part, to the metabolic changes that occur during cancer cachexia. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We used proteomics and metadata analysis software to identify contributors to metabolic changes in striated muscle during cancer cachexia. We found increased expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha in the heart and skeletal muscle, suggesting a potential target for the therapeutic treatment of cancer cachexia.