Fig. (2). HIF-1α is the key factor in hypoxia response.
Hypoxic conditions can lead to several cellular and molecular changes, many of which are transduced through the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor HIF-1α. Under normal oxygen conditions, the HIF-1α protein is rapidly ubiquitinated and degraded. Under hypoxic conditions, the protein is stabilized, heterodimerizes with ARNT, and translocates to the nucleus where it activates transcription from a number of hypoxia-responsive genes.
