Hypoxia-mediated regulation of stem cell fate

Hypoxia-mediated regulation of stem cell fate, or reduced oxygen availability, is a prominent feature during mammalian development and under physiological and pathological conditions in adults. Oxygen-sensing is therefore indispensable as it enables the cells to adapt instantaneously to an inappropriate pO(2). This machinery relies primarily on hypoxia inducible factor (HIF). Moreover, a growing body of evidence proposes that different types of stem cells exist in a very hypoxic microenvironment, which may be beneficial for the maintenance of these cells and ensures continuous replenishment of dead or damaged cells in virtually all tissues of the body. Recent reports have shown that HIF is a critical player in these responses. However, a better understanding of the different HIF-related mechanisms is of utmost importance for the improvement of therapeutic strategies for tissue regeneration as well as hematological malignancies.