Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1: From Molecular Biology to Cardiopulmonary Physiology

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) mediates adaptive responses to hypoxia by activating the transcription of hundreds of target genes. The expression and activity of HIF-1 are oxygen-regulated, which provides a direct mechanism for transducing changes in cellular oxygenation to changes in gene expression. HIF-1 regulates the expression of genes encoding proteins that play key roles in mediating the switch to glycolytic metabolism, the induction of angiogenesis, and the production of survival factors that block ischemia-induced apoptosis. Induction of HIF-1 activity or administration of survival factors encoded by HIF-1 target genes may be of therapeutic benefit in patients with acute stroke.