Hypoxia-Inducible Factor: Pattern of the Effects and Their Dualism

This review describes the peculiarities of the molecular structure of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) and the mechanisms of activation of a complex including HIF, a key factor of adaptation of the cell to ischemic and hypoxic injuries. The tissue specificity of expression of different subtypes of the α HIF subunit and most typical target genes activated by this complex are described. In addition, the specificities of HIF-mediated cell responses related to ischemic damage (the latter, at present, forms one of the main medical/clinical problems) are analyzed; the expedience and prospects of further studies of the signal pathways involving the mentioned transcription factor are emphasized.