How to catch a HIF-the work of Gregg Semenza's lab on hypoxia-inducible factor 1.

Martin J Spiering

doi:10.1074/jbc.cl119.012269

Abstract

How to catch a HIF-the work of Gregg Semenza's lab on hypoxia-inducible factor 1.

Highlights

As multicellular organisms evolved, this steep oxygen gradient necessitated the development of structures such as the circulatory system and of biochemical mechanisms that monitor and control oxygen levels in the body
This work was reported in two JBC papers recognized as Classics here [4, 5]
A few years before this work, Semenza’s team had found that hypoxia induces the binding of a nuclear protein to a 50-nucleotide-long enhancer region located in the 3Ј-flanking region of the EPO gene [2, 3]

Summary

Introduction

This steep oxygen gradient necessitated the development of structures such as the circulatory system and of biochemical mechanisms that monitor and control oxygen levels in the body. One important milestone in uncovering HIF-1’s pivotal role in oxygen sensing was its purification and biochemical characterization in the mid-1990s by the lab of Gregg Semenza (Fig. 1), a geneticist at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. A few years before this work, Semenza’s team had found that hypoxia induces the binding of a nuclear protein to a 50-nucleotide-long enhancer region located in the 3Ј-flanking region of the EPO gene [2, 3].

Results

Conclusion