Hypoxia

By Jamshed Arslan Pharm.D.

By Yoskaly Lazo-Fernandez, PhD

By Jacqueline Carrico, BS, MD Candidate

By Jacqueline Carrico, BS, MD Candidate

By Jamshed Arslan Pharm.D.

By Jamshed Arslan Pharm.D.

By Bethany Veo, PhD

Hypoxia is a common feature of most tumors and is a product of rapid cell growth and poor vascularization¹. When oxygen availability is low in the tumor environment, the hypoxia inducing transcription factors (HIFs) regulate a variety of signaling programs that can affect the balance between tumor cell apoptosis² and autophagy³.  In normoxia, HIFs are bound by the von Hippel-Lindau protein (VHL) in the cytosol where it is degraded by the proteasome, however, under hypoxia HIFs are translocated to the nucleus where they activate survival signals.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) currently contributes to nearly 30% of all injury deaths in the United States.  Characterized by an abrasive head injury that interrupts normal brain function, TBI can range from mild to severe.  Mild symptoms can present themselves as excessive tiredness, difficulty concentrating and lack of clear thinking.  Severe cases of TBI are hallmarked by unusual behavior, seizures and loss of consciousness.  Research has shown that on a molecular level TBI triggers various mechanisms of cell death alongside attempted tissue recovery, therefore Choi et al sought

HIF-2 alpha, also known as hypoxia-inducible factor 2, endothelial PAS domain protein-1, and member of PAS superfamily 2 is part of the HIF family of proteins.  The HIF family is composed of HIF-1, HIF-2 and HIF-3, where HIF-2 is a dimeric protein that consists of an alpha and beta subunit.HIF-2 alphais activated in the presence of oxygen deprivation, or hypoxia, via prolyl hydroxylase-domain enzymes (PHD