The Critical Role of Hypoxia in Cancer Progression: a Mini-review of Recent Literature

抄録

Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α has been extensively studied as a cancer-progression protein. It plays a central role in tumor cell proliferation, invasion/metastasis, the epithelialmesenchymal transition (EMT), angiogenesis, and glucose metabolism. HIF-1α-related proteins, including vascular endothelial growth factor, matrix metalloproteinase-9, lysyl oxidase, Snail, and Glut1, play a variety of roles that promote the aggressive nature of tumors. HIF-1α is expressed under both hypoxic and normoxic conditions in certain types of cancer. In this article, we review the reported properties of this protein in the context of hypoxia and related cellular events. We also briefly describe the transcription and translation of HIF-1α.