title: Complex role of HIF in cancer: the known, the unknown, and the unexpected.
abstract: Tumor hypoxia has long been recognized as a driving force of malignant progression and therapeutic resistance. The discovery of hypoxia-inducible transcription factors (HIFs) has greatly advanced our understanding of how cancer cells cope with hypoxic stress by maintaining bioenergetics through the stimulation of glycolysis. Until recently, however, it remained perplexing why proliferative cancer cells opt for aerobic glycolysis, an energy-inefficient process of glucose metabolism. Furthermore, the role of HIF in cancer has also become complex. In this review, we highlight recent groundbreaking findings in cancer metabolism, put forward plausible explanations to the complex role of HIF, and underscore remaining issues in cancer biology.
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, Clinical Neurosciences Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Department of Oncological Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors: Patricia Denise
authors: PD
authors: Tiburcio
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, Clinical Neurosciences Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors: Hyunsung
authors: H
authors: Choi
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, Clinical Neurosciences Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Department of Oncological Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors: L Eric
authors: LE
authors: Huang
keywords: cancer biology; hypoxia; metabolism; oncogenic signaling