RhoB regulates the function of macrophages in the hypoxia-induced inflammatory response

Immune cells, particularly macrophages, play critical roles in the hypoxia-induced inflammatory response. The small GTPase RhoB is usually rapidly induced by a variety of stimuli and has been described as an important regulator of cytoskeletal organization and vesicle and membrane receptor trafficking. However, it is unknown whether RhoB is involved in the hypoxia-induced inflammatory response. Here, we investigated the effect of hypoxia on the expression of RhoB and the mechanism and significance of RhoB expression in macrophages. We found that hypoxia significantly upregulated the expression of RhoB in RAW264.7 cells, mouse peritoneal macrophages, and the spleen of rats. Hypoxia-induced expression of RhoB was significantly blocked by a specific inhibitor of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1 alpha), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), or extracellular-signal regulated protein kinase (ERK), indicating that hypoxia-activated HIF-1 alpha, JNK, and ERK are involved in the upregulation of RhoB by hypoxia. Knockdown of RhoB expression not only significantly suppressed basal production of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) in normoxia but also more markedly decreased the hypoxia-stimulated production of these cytokines. Furthermore, we showed that RhoB increased nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B) activity, and the inhibition of NF-kappa B transcriptional activity significantly decreased the RhoB-increased mRNA levels of IL-1 beta, IL-6, and TNF-alpha. Finally, we demonstrated that RhoB enhanced cell adhesion and inhibited cell migration in normoxia and hypoxia. Taken together, these results suggest that RhoB plays an important role in the hypoxia-induced activation of macrophages and the inflammatory response.