Citation

Hypoxia is a condition in which an area of the body or a tissue is deprived of sufficient supply of oxygen. The lack of nutrients in a hypoxic tissue generally causes apoptosis but some cells are able to adapt to this hypoxic environment and resist apoptosis. This adaptation occurs as a result of gene activation. Hypoxia is a characteristic feature of many cancers and is the stimulus for overexpression of HIF-1α- a basic loop-helix PAS protein family subunit of HIF, which allows the cell to adapt and survive in hostile environment. The presence of hypoxia and HIF-1α is correlated with an increased risk of metastasis and techniques that can inhibit hypoxia inducible factor may be instrumental in finding a cure for cancer