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Review
. 2020 Dec;11(1):1482-1500.
doi: 10.1080/21505594.2020.1836904.

Contribution of hypoxia inducible factor-1 during viral infections

Antonia Reyes  1 , Nicolás Corrales  1 , Nicolás M S Gálvez  1 , Susan M Bueno  1 , Alexis M Kalergis  1   2 , Pablo A González  1
Affiliations
Review

Contribution of hypoxia inducible factor-1 during viral infections

Antonia Reyes et al. Virulence. 2020 Dec.

Abstract

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) is a transcription factor that plays critical roles during the cellular response to hypoxia. Under normoxic conditions, its function is tightly regulated by the degradation of its alpha subunit (HIF-1α), which impairs the formation of an active heterodimer in the nucleus that otherwise regulates the expression of numerous genes. Importantly, HIF-1 participates in both cancer and infectious diseases unveiling new therapeutic targets for those ailments. Here, we discuss aspects related to the activation of HIF-1, the effects of this transcription factor over immune system components, as well as the involvement of HIF-1 activity in response to viral infections in humans. Although HIF-1 is currently being assessed in numerous clinical settings as a potential therapy for different diseases, up to date, there are no clinical studies evaluating the pharmacological modulation of this transcription factor as a possible new antiviral treatment. However, based on the available evidence, clinical trials targeting this molecule are likely to occur soon. In this review we discuss the role of HIF-1 in viral immunity, the modulation of HIF-1 by different types of viruses, as well as the effects of HIF-1 over their life cycle and the potential use of HIF-1 as a new target for the treatment of viral infections.

Keywords: DNA viruses; RNA viruses; hypoxia; normoxia; viral treatment; virus life cycle.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Schematic representation of HIF-regulated pathways
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Schematic representation of the effects of double-stranded DNA viruses on HIF-1α and (possible) mechanisms of action
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Schematic representation of the effects of positive single-stranded RNA viruses on HIF-1α and (possible) mechanisms of action
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Schematic representation of the effects of negative single-stranded RNA and double-stranded RNA viruses on HIF-1α, and (possible) mechanisms of action
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Schematic representation of the effects of retrotranscribing viruses on HIF-1α and (possible) mechanisms of action
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
Common features between different viruses and HIF-1α. A
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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