Objcctive:To determine the gene expression patterns of endothelin (ET)system components in cultured astrocytes(AC),and to examine the direct effcct of hypoxia on ET system gene expression in cultured AC.Background:The ET system was considered to be related to the activation of AC. However,how hypoxia affects the ET system in transcriptional levels remains unclear.Methods:AC was prepared form mouse brain,and cultured 4 days.then further incubated under normoxic or hypoxic conditions for 24h. ET peptide levels were determined by RIA.The transcripts of ET system components were measured by Northern Blot RNA hybridization and RT-PCR.Results:In normoxic AC,ET-1,ET converting enzyme(ECE)-2,ETA receptor,and ETB receptor mRNAs were detected by Northern blot hybridization with ETB receptor mRNA appearing to be the predominant receptor transcript.ET-3and ECE-1 were only detected by RT-PCR,indicating low expression levels of these components.Hypoxia induced a 1.7-fold increase in ET peptide level in culture supernatants as comparcd to controls(p＜0.001).At the same time,a 3-fold increase of ET-1 mRNA(p＜0.001)was determined by Northern blot RNA analysis,indicating a regulation at the transcriptional Ievel.Both ETA and ETB receptor mRNASweredownregulated to approximately 20%of control levels(p＜0.001), while ECE-2 mRNA remained unchanged.Conclusions:These results indicate direct effects of hypoxia on astrocytic ET system gene expression.Therefore,similar changes observed in ischemic conditions in vivo are likely to be at least partially independent from the modified cerebral microenvironment.