G·A·B·B·A

Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1 (HIF-1) is a transcription factor that responds to low oxygen levels - Hypoxia. Cells respond to oxygen availability orchestrating a variety of coordinated responses in order to restore the oxygen homeostasis. Even though the physiological responses to hypoxia are well established, the molecular processes activated within the cells are not completely understood. It was recently shown that HIF is activated not only by hypoxia, but also by inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-alpha, via a mechanism dependent on another transcription factor called NF-kappaB. Given that HIF is active under inflammatory conditions, it is likely that HIF may also have a leading role in tumour progression, independently of hypoxia. Furthermore, I showed that HIF has a role on the NF-kappaB pathway in response to inflammation, which reveals a novel mechanism of NF-kappaB regulation, with impact in the development of novel therapeutic strategies for Inflammation-related pathologies including ageing, ischemia, and cancer.