Hypoxia-Inducible Factor: Pattern of the Effects and Their Dualism

This review describes the peculiarities of the molecular structure of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) and the mechanisms of activation of a complex including HIF, a key factor of adaptation of the cell to ischemic and hypoxic injuries. The tissue specificity of expression of different subtypes of the alpha HIF subunit and most typical target genes activated by this complex are described. In addition, the specificities of HIF-mediated cell responses related to ischemic damage (the latter, at present, forms one of the main medical/clinical problems) are analyzed; the expedience and prospects of further studies of the signal pathways involving the mentioned transcription factor are emphasized.