Defining the role of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 in cancer biology and therapeutics

Adaptation of cancer cells to their microenvironment is an important driving force in the clonal selection that leads to invasive and metastatic disease. O₂ concentrations are markedly reduced in many human cancers compared with normal tissue, and a major mechanism mediating adaptive responses to reduced O₂ availability (hypoxia) is the regulation of transcription by hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1). This review summarizes the current state of knowledge regarding the molecular mechanisms by which HIF-1 contributes to cancer progression, focusing on (1) clinical data associating increased HIF-1 levels with patient mortality; (2) preclinical data linking HIF-1 activity with tumor growth; (3) molecular data linking specific HIF-1 target gene products to critical aspects of cancer biology and (4) pharmacological data showing anticancer effects of HIF-1 inhibitors in mouse models of human cancer.