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HIF ‐1 at the crossroads of hypoxia, inflammation, and cancer
Author(s) -
Balamurugan Kuppusamy
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/ijc.29519
Subject(s) - carcinogenesis , stromal cell , transcription factor , hypoxia (environmental) , metastasis , cancer research , biology , inflammation , tumor progression , signal transduction , cancer cell , cancer , tumor microenvironment , immunology , bioinformatics , medicine , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , chemistry , genetics , tumor cells , organic chemistry , oxygen
The complex cross‐talk of intricate intercellular signaling networks between the tumor and stromal cells promotes cancer progression. Hypoxia is one of the most common conditions encountered within the tumor microenvironment that drives tumorigenesis. Most responses to hypoxia are elicited by a family of transcription factors called hypoxia‐inducible factors (HIFs), which induce expression of a diverse set of genes that assist cells to adapt to hypoxic environments. Among the three HIF protein family members, the role of HIF‐1 is well established in cancer progression. HIF‐1 functions as a signaling hub to coordinate the activities of many transcription factors and signaling molecules that impact tumorigenesis. This mini review discusses the complex role of HIF‐1 and its context‐dependent partners under various cancer‐promoting events including inflammation and generation of cancer stem cells, which are implicated in tumor metastasis and relapse. In addition, the review highlights the importance of therapeutic targeting of HIF‐1 for cancer prevention.