Lactate stimulates CA IX expression in normoxic cancer cells

Besides hypoxia, other factors and molecules such as lactate, succinate, and reactive oxygen species activate transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) even in normoxia. One of the main target gene products of HIF-1 is carbonic anhydrase IX (CA IX). CA IX is overexpressed in many tumors and serves as prognostic factor for hypoxic, aggressive and malignant cancers. CA IX is also induced in normoxia in high cell density. In this study, we observed that lactate induces CA IX expression in normoxic cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. We further evidenced that participation of both HIF-1 and specificity protein 1 (SP1) transcription factors is crucial for lactate-driven normoxic induction of the CA9 gene. By inducing CA IX, lactate can facilitate the maintenance of cancer cell aggressive behavior in normoxia.