title: Achieving hypoxia-inducible gene expression in tumors.
abstract: Hypoxia is an inevitable feature of solid tumors and a common cause of treatment failure. Hypoxia acts as a trigger to genetic instability, apoptosis and possibly metastases. The adaptive response to cellular hypoxia involves the modulation of the synthesis of multiple proteins controlling processes such as glucose homeostasis, angiogenesis, vascular permeability and inflammation. The hypoxia responsive element (HRE) sequences isolated from oxygen-responsive genes have been shown to selectively induce gene expression in response to hypoxia when placed upstream of a promoter. The levels of induced gene expression were dependent on the number of HRE copies and the oxygen tension. Hypoxia-mediated cancer gene therapy strategies may represent a promising mean to significantly improve the efficacy of standard radiation therapy and chemotherapy approaches.
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology and Academic Unit of Clinical and Molecular Oncology, Institute of Molecular Medicine, St. James's Hospital and Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Marignol
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lawler
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Coffey
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hollywood
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015687:Cell Hypoxia; D015870:Gene Expression; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D006801:Humans; D051793:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1; D008954:Models, Biological; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000628:therapy; D020218:Response Elements / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D051793:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1