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Prostaglandin (PG) A2 reportedly stimulated expression of heme oxygenase(HO)-1 at the level of transcription via the activation of p38MAPK. Details of the mechanism, however, have not been provided, and this includes identification of the transcription factors responsible for PGA2-induced HO-1 expression. Herein is described an analysis of the role of nuclear factor erythroid 2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) and how PGA2 increases the activity of Nrf2 during PGA2-induced HO-1 expression. Expressions of HO-1 and Nrf2 were analyzed at the levels of both mRNA and protein. Nrf2 siRNA, SB203580, an inhibitor of p38MAPK, and scavengers of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were used to identify the effects of Nrf2, p38MAPK and ROS on PGA2-induced HO-1 expression. Although SB203580 suppressed PGA2-induced HO-1 expression, genetic activation of p38MAPK could not stimulate the transcription of HO-1. Cycloheximide (CHX), an inhibitor of protein translation, almost completely prevented PGA2-induced increase of HO-1 transcription, but it did not prevent the phosphorylation of p38MAPK, which suggests that both de novo protein synthesis and p38MAPK activity are required to induce the transcription of HO-1 in response to PGA2 treatment. In addition, PGA2 increased the level of both Nrf2 mRNA and protein in a dose-dependent manner. Knockdown of Nrf2 using small interfering RNA (siRNA) suppressed PGA2-induced HO-1 expression. The PGA2-induced transcription of Nrf2 was prevented by ROS scavengers such as n-acetyl-l-cysteine and tempol but not CHX. Furthermore, siRNA against p38MAPK did not change the level of nuclear Nrf2 protein. These findings suggest that PGA2 induces HO-1 transcription via an increase in Nrf2 protein, the transcription of which is initiated by an accumulation of ROS that is independent of the p38MAPK activation pathway.

Prostaglandin (PG) A2 which is a cytotoxic PG, was reported to induce the expression of heme oxygenase (HO)-1 via activation of p38MAPK to keep U2OS cells from cell cycle arrest in G2M phase. The expression of HO-1 is primarily regulated at the level of transcription. But the transcription factors that are responsible for PGA2-induced HO-1 expression were not clarified yet. Here, we report that PGA2-induced transcription of HO-1 is mediated by p53, a tumor suppressive transcription factor. In HCT116 cells, PGA2 treatment led to the phosphorylation of p53 and an increase of p21WAF1 transcription as well as the activation of HO-1 transcription. Knocking p53 down via RNA interference or inhibiting the p53’s transcriptional activity by pifithrin-α treatment led to suppression of the increase in the level of both HO-1 expression and activity of HO-1 promoter. Pretreatment of NU-7441, a chemical inhibitor of DNA-activated protein kinase (DNA-PK), prevented both the PGA2-induced phosphorylation of p53 and an increase of HO-1 transcription. In addition, N-acetyl-l-cysteine, a scavenger of reactive oxygen species (ROS), also mimicked the effect of NU-7441 on the PGA2-induced activation of p53 and HO-1 transcription. Collectively, these results suggest that PGA2 induces the expression of HO-1 via activation of p53, which is mediated by the ROS-DNA-PK pathway.

The cooperative intelligent transport systems (CITS), which employ vehicular wireless communications to connect vehicles on the road as well as infrastructures, have gained attention as a promising technology that will significantly reduce traffic congestion and road accidents. The IEEE wireless access in vehicular environment (WAVE) is one of the most promising vehicular communication standards; however, when a large number of vehicles and roadside units participate in wireless communication, channel congestion problems arise due to the carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) characteristics of WAVE. In this paper, we present random access congestion control methods, which utilize random distribution and flexible management of the sync interval. The simulation results from a congested urban intersection scenario show that the proposed methods greatly increase the successful reception rate of safety messages compared with the WAVE CSMA/CA.