Genome editing and cancer therapy: handling the hypoxia-responsive pathway as a promising strategy

Area of Science:

• Physiology
• Molecular Biology
• Cancer Biology

Background:

• Oxygen-sensing pathways regulate critical physiological processes, including stem cell specification, embryogenesis, metabolism, and blood pressure.
• The tumor microenvironment's hypoxia activates adaptive responses like neoangiogenesis and metabolic reprogramming.
• Precise characterization of these pathways is crucial for understanding health and disease.

Purpose of the Study:

• To emphasize the importance of oxygen-sensing pathways and pO2-regulated gene expression.
• To explore the role of oxygen sensing in various human processes and cancer.
• To highlight the potential of new therapeutic strategies targeting oxygen-sensing mechanisms.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature on oxygen-sensing pathways.
• Discussion of molecular genetic methodologies, including genome editing.
• Analysis of hypoxia response mechanisms in cancer.

Main Results:

• Oxygen-sensing pathways are fundamental to stem cell specification, tissue development, metabolic regulation, and blood pressure control.
• Hypoxia in solid tumors drives adaptive responses essential for cancer progression.
• Advances in genome editing enable precise cell/tissue targeting for therapeutic development.

Conclusions:

• Understanding oxygen-sensing mechanisms is critical for human physiology and pathology.
• Targeting oxygen-sensing pathways offers promising therapeutic avenues, particularly in oncology.
• New molecular tools facilitate the development of novel treatments based on hypoxia adaptation.