Molecular oxygen (O 2 ) is essential for aerobic organisms. Exposure of tissues or cells to hypoxia induces a variety of adaptive or pathogenic responses. To understand the mechanism and processes of cellular response to hypoxia, we exposed fetal rat lung fibroblasts to hypoxia (pO 2 Ϸ5 Pa) and screened the hypoxia-responsible gene by the differential display method. Exposure of the cells to hypoxia activated the phosphoglycerate mutase B (PGM-B) gene, resulting in the induction of PGM enzymatic activity, concomitant with elevations of PGM-B mRNA and protein levels. The mRNA level was elevated linearly with decreases in partial O 2 pressure, indicating a 2Ϫ3-fold increase in these levels after 16 h hypoxia. Up-regulation of PGM mRNA by hypoxia was obvious after 8 h exposure, reached its peak after 16 h, persisting for 40 h and returned to the basal level after reoxygenation at 20% O 2 for 16 h. Run-on and stability assays indicated that PGM-B expression is regulated mainly at the transcriptional step. These results suggest that the induction of PGM-B may contribute to the regulation of the glycolytic flux under reduced O 2 tension and play a role in the adaptation of cells to hypoxia.Keywords : hypoxia ; reoxygenation ; phosphoglycerate mutase B; differential display; fibroblast.Molecular oxygen (O 2 ) is essential for aerobic organisms. within minutes, after hypoxic exposure. It is generally accepted Principally, O 2 participates in oxidation-reduction reactions in that the Pasteur effect relates to an acute increase in the intracelthe biosystem and functions as a terminal electron acceptor of lular phosphofructokinase activity resulting from changes in the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in the production of en-concentration of low molecular-mass allosteric effectors, alergy [1]. O 2 is also the means of oxygenation by which bioactive though other alterations in enzyme activities participate [6,7]. materials, such as steroid hormones and prostaglandins, are syn-Chronic hypoxic exposure of a variety of tissues and cells results thesized. Furthermore, desaturation of fatty acid and hydroxyla-in a substantial additional increase in the rate of glycolysis betion of proline also require O 2 for enzymatic reactions. The par-yond that produced by the Pasteur effect [8]. tial O 2 pressure needed for enzymatic reactions varies depending Enzymatic activities of all glycolytic components of epitheon the type of enzyme [2].lial and mesenchymal cell lines are coordinately enhanced by Ischemia and/or hypoxia cause a reduced tension of O 2 in chronic hypoxia [9,10]. Although the detailed mechanism by cells and tissues. In an acute response to reduced O 2 concentra-which the glycolytic activity is substantially increased after tions in tissues, hyperventilation is the primary systemic adapta-chronic hypoxia is unclear, some glycolytic enzymes, but not tion. It results in an increase in arterial O2 tension, enhancing all, are up-regulated at transcription levels. Steady-state mRNA delivery of O 2 to distal tissues [3]....