Transcriptional regulation of cyclooxygenase-1 by histone deacetylase inhibitors in normal human astrocyte cells

Abstract

While cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 is a highly inducible gene, COX-1 is widely known as a noninducible gene and is constitutively expressed in a variety of cell lines and human tissues. Recently, several reports have indicated that COX-1 is also regulated at the transcriptional level by various stimuli. We present evidence that histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors induce COX-1 transcription and translation in normal human astrocyte (NHA) cells and glioma cell lines. HDAC inhibitors increased acetylated histone H4 protein expression in NHA cells. The levels of COX-1 mRNA and protein were maximal at 24 and 48 h, respectively, after treatment with the specific HDAC inhibitor, trichostatin A (TSA). In addition, TSA-treated NHA cells produced prostaglandin E2 as determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay after incubation with 10 μM exogenous arachidonic acid, indicating that the induced COX-1 is functionally active. In addition to NHA cells, this up-regulation of COX-1 after treatment with HDAC inhibitors was observed in 5 different glioma cell lines. The nucleotide sequence of the inducible COX-1 cDNA was confirmed identical to human COX-1 that was previously reported. HDAC inhibitors stimulated COX-1 promoter activity as measured by luciferase reporter assays, suggesting that the induction of COX-1 is regulated at the transcriptional level. Furthermore, mutation analysis of the COX-1 promoter suggests that TSA-responsive element exists in the proximal Sp1-binding site at +25 to +31. In conclusion, COX-1 is an inducible gene in glial-derived cells including immortalized cells, and appears to be transcriptionally regulated by a unique mechanism associated with histone acetylation.