Dynamic balancing of the dual nature of HIF-1α for cell survival

Abstract

In hypoxic cells, HIF-1α escapes from oxygen-dependent proteolysis and binds to the hypoxia-responsive element (HRE) for transcriptional activation of target genes involved in angiogenesis and glycolysis. We recently demonstrated that the G1 checkpoint gene p21cip1 is activated by HIF-1α with a novel mechanism that involves the HIF-1α PAS domains to displace Myc binding from p21cip1 promoter. This HIF-1α-Myc pathway may account for up- and down-regulation of other hypoxia-responsive genes that lack the HRE. Moreover, the role of HIF-1α in cell cycle control indicates a dual, yet seemingly conflicting, nature of HIF-1α: promoting cell growth and arrest in concomitance. We speculate that a dynamic balance between the two processes is achieved by a "stop-and-go" strategy to maintain cell growth and survival. Tumor cells may adopt such scheme to evade the killing by chemotherapeutic agents.