Hypoxia activates multiple transcriptional pathways in mouse pheochromocytoma cells.

: Mouse pheochromocytoma cells (MPCs) provide an excellent model system for investigating the effects of hypoxia on catecholamine enzyme genes and on transcription factors mediating stress responses. RT-PCR detects rapid, transient increases in PNMT mRNA in hypoxic MPC 712 cells. Additionally, elevation of mRNAs encoding transcription factors hypoxia inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) α subunit and Egr-1 are evident within 60 min incubation in anoxia. Therefore, hypoxia elicits rapid transcriptional responses in numerous genes expressed by chromaffin cells.