title: Regulation of HIF by the von Hippel-Lindau tumour suppressor: implications for cellular oxygen sensing.
abstract: Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) is central in coordinating many of the transcriptional adaptations to hypoxia. Composed of a heterodimer of alpha and beta subunits, the alpha subunit is rapidly degraded in normoxia, leading to inactivation of the hypoxic response. Many models for a molecular oxygen sensor regulating this system have been proposed, but an important finding has been the ability to mimic hypoxia by chelation or substitution of iron. A key insight has been the recognition that HIF-alpha is targeted for degradation by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway through binding to the von Hippel-Lindau tumour suppressor protein (pVHL), which forms the recognition component of an E3 ubiquitin ligase complex leading to ubiquitylation of HIF-alpha. Importantly, the classical features of regulation by iron and oxygen availability are reflected in regulation of the HIF-alpha/pVHL interaction. It has recently been shown that HIF-alpha undergoes an iron- and oxygen-dependent modification before it can interact with pVHL, and that this results in hydroxylation of at least one prolyl residue (HIF-1alpha, Pro 564). This modification is catalysed by an enzyme termed HIF-prolyl hydroxylase (HIF-PH), and compatible with all previously described prolyl-4-hydroxylases HIF-PH also requires 2-oxoglutarate as a cosubstrate. The key position of this hydroxylation in the degradation pathway of HIF-alpha, together with its requirement for molecular dioxygen as a co-substrate, provides the potential for HIF-PH to function directly as a cellular oxygen sensor. However, the ability of these enzyme(s) to account for the full range of physiological regulation displayed by the HIF system remains to be defined.
authors.affiliation: The Henry Wellcome Building of Genomic Medicine, University of Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Mole
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Maxwell
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Pugh
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Ratcliffe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D006900:Hydroxylation; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000378:metabolism; D051793:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; D008025:Ligases / Q000378:metabolism*; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes / Q000378:metabolism; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism*; D046988:Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex; D011485:Protein Binding; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases; D051794:Von Hippel-Lindau Tumor Suppressor Protein; D000099162:Endothelial PAS Domain-Containing Protein 1
chemical_list: D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D051793:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; D008025:Ligases; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D010100:Oxygen; D046988:Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases; D051794:Von Hippel-Lindau Tumor Suppressor Protein; D000099162:Endothelial PAS Domain-Containing Protein 1; C497442:HIF1A protein, human; C497446:VHL protein, human