Implications of HIF-1α in the tumorigenesis and progression of pancreatic cancer

Xiao Jin; Lu Dai; Yilan Ma; Jiayan Wang; Zheng Liu

doi:10.1186/s12935-020-01370-0

Implications of HIF-1α in the tumorigenesis and progression of pancreatic cancer

Cancer Cell Int. 2020 Jun 24:20:273. doi: 10.1186/s12935-020-01370-0. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Xiao Jin¹, Lu Dai¹, Yilan Ma¹, Jiayan Wang¹, Zheng Liu¹

Affiliation

¹ Medical Center for Digestive Diseases, Second Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, 121 Jiangjiayuan Road, Nanjing, 210011 Jiangsu China.

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide and is characterized by highly hypoxic tumor microenvironment. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) is a major regulator of cellular response to changes in oxygen concentration, supporting the adaptation of tumor cells to hypoxia in an oxygen-deficient tumor microenvironment. Numerous studies revealed the central role of HIF-1α in the carcinogenesis and progression of pancreatic cancer. This article reviewed the molecular mechanisms of how HIF-1α regulated tumorigenesis and progression of pancreatic cancer and suggested that targeting HIF-1α and its signaling pathways could be promising therapeutics for pancreatic cancer.

Keywords: HIF-1α; Hypoxia; Pancreatic cancer; Progression; Review; Tumorigenesis.

Publication types

Review