Targeting the mitochondria for cancer therapy: regulation of hypoxia-inducible factor by mitochondria

As tumors develop, they outgrow the vascular network that supplies cells with oxygen and nutrients needed for survival. In response to decreased oxygen levels, the tumor cells initiate a program of adaptation by inducing the transcription of multiple genes via the activation of the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF). Proteins encoded by a subset of genes induced by HIF promote tumorigenesis by acting directly on both the tumor cells and the microenvironment in which the tumor cells reside. The mechanism(s) by which hypoxia activates HIF is a subject of intensive research. Understanding how hypoxia activates HIF will provide targets for the development of therapies that could specifically target growing tumors by not allowing adequate adaptation to hypoxia, which is necessary for cancer progression. Here we outline how mitochondria regulate the activity of HIF during hypoxia.