Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) protein diminishes sodium glucose transport 1 (SGLT1) and SGLT2 protein expression in renal epithelial tubular cells (LLC-PK1) under hypoxia.

In this work, we demonstrated the regulation of glucose transporters by hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) activation in renal epithelial cells. LLC-PK1 monolayers were incubated for 1, 3, 6, or 12 h with 0% or 5% O2 or 300 μm cobalt (CoCl2). We evaluated the effects of hypoxia on the mRNA and protein expression of HIF-1α and of the glucose transporters SGLT1, SGLT2, and GLUT1. The data showed an increase in HIF-1α mRNA and protein expression under the three evaluated conditions (p < 0.05 versus t = 0). An increase in GLUT1 mRNA (12 h) and protein expression (at 3, 6, and 12 h) was observed (p < 0.05 versus t = 0). SGLT1 and SGLT2 mRNA and protein expression decreased under the three evaluated conditions (p < 0.05 versus t = 0). In conclusion, our results suggest a clear decrease in the expression of the glucose transporters SGLT1 and SGLT2 under hypoxic conditions which implies a possible correlation with increased expression of HIF-1α.