Casein kinase 1 regulates human hypoxia-inducible factor HIF-1

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1), a transcriptional activator that mediates cellular response to hypoxia and a promising target of anticancer therapy, is essential for adaptation to low oxygen conditions, embryogenesis and tumor progression. HIF-1 is a heterodimer of HIF-1 alpha, expression of which is controlled by oxygen levels as well as by various oxygen-independent mechanisms, and HIF-1 beta (or ARNT), which is constitutively expressed. In this work, we investigate the phosphorylation of the N-terminal heterodimerization (PAS) domain of HIF-1 alpha and identify Ser247 as a major site of in vitro modification by casein kinase 1 delta (CK1 delta). Mutation of this site to alanine, surprisingly, enhanced the transcriptional activity of HIF-1 alpha, a result phenocopied by inhibition or small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated silencing of CK1 delta under hypoxic conditions. Conversely, overexpression of CK1 delta or phosphomimetic mutation of Ser247 to aspartate inhibited HIF-1 alpha activity without affecting its stability or nuclear accumulation. Immunoprecipitation and in vitro binding experiments suggest that CK1-dependent phosphorylation of HIF-1 alpha at Ser247 impairs its association with ARNT, a notion also supported by modeling the structure of the complex between HIF-1 alpha and ARNT PAS-B domains. We suggest that modification of HIF-1 alpha by CK1 represents a novel mechanism that controls the activity of HIF-1 during hypoxia by regulating the interaction between its two subunits.