RATIONALE The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is stimulated by hypoxia, and although the AMPKα1 catalytic subunit has been implicated in angiogenesis, little is known about the role played by the AMPKα2 subunit in vascular repair. OBJECTIVE To determine the role of the AMPKα2 subunit in vascular repair. METHODS AND RESULTS Recovery of blood flow after femoral artery ligation was impaire...

Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) is a sequence-specific DNA-binding protein that can promote or repress the transcription of a broad range of genes that are involved in maintaining biological homeostasis. HIF is mostly non-functional in oxygenated cells but becomes active under specific conditions, including lowoxygen (hypoxic) stress. HIF is a heterodimeric complex that is composed of an oxygen-...

The transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF1) facilitates the induction of enzymes necessary for anaerobic glycolysis. Luo et al. (2011) now identify pyruvate kinase (PK)-M2 as an intriguing new interacting partner for HIF1, revealing a potential mechanism for the Warburg effect, an elevation in aerobic glycolytic metabolism frequently observed in cancer.

Hypoxia inducible factor-1α facilitates cellular adaptation to hypoxic conditions. Hence its tight regulation is crucial in hypoxia related diseases such as cerebral ischemia. Changes in hypoxia inducible factor-1α expression upon cerebral ischemia influence the expression of its downstream genes which eventually determines the extent of cellular damage. MicroRNAs are endogenous regulators of g...

Cellular properties are influenced by complex factors inherent to their microenvironments. While oxygen deprivation (hypoxia) occurs in tumours because of rapid cell proliferation and aberrant blood vessel formation, embryonic cells develop in a naturally occurring hypoxic environment. Cells respond to hypoxia by stabilizing hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs), which are traditionally viewed to fu...

Oxygen is vital to mammalian survival. Oxygen deprivation, defined as hypoxia, elicits adaptive responses in cells and tissues, a process regulated by proteins known as hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF). Animal studies have provided compelling data to demonstrate a pivotal role for the HIF pathway in the pathogenesis of acute kidney injury (AKI) that have led to initial human clinical trials exam...

Chronic kidney disease (CKD), defined by loss of renal function, is highly prevalent, and imposes a large economic burden worldwide. Renal fibrosis is the final common pathway leading to CKD regardless of the initial insult. The extent of renal fibrosis is highly correlated with the severity of CKD. Understanding the pathophysiology of renal fibrosis is of paramount importance. Microscopically,...

Hypoxia is a prominent characteristic of many acute or chronic inflammatory diseases, and exerts significant influence on their progression. Macrophages and neutrophils are major cellular components of innate immunity and contribute not only to O2 deprivation at the site of inflammation, but also alter many of their functions in response to hypoxia to either facilitate or suppress inflammation....