Role of hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF) in the maintenance of sternness and malignancy of colorectal cancer

Hypoxia is a condition of insufficient tissue oxygenation, which is observed during normal development as well as tumorigenesis and its response at the cellular level is primarily mediated through hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs). HIFs have a significant role in the maintenance of sternness in both stern cells as well as in cancer stem cells (CSC) by acting as transcription factors. The CSCs are proposed to be the driving force of colon tumorigenesis and malignancy. These HIFs play a significant role in a wide range of diseases including colon cancer. HIF's signaling functions with stemness, and maintaining Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathways. Due to HIFs functional significance in sternness maintenance in malignancy, targeting HIFs might provide a new approach for development of new therapy for colon cancer. In this review, we will be briefing on the colon and its stem cells, various molecular signaling pathways involved in sternness preservation, and the role hypoxia and its HIFs in the maintenance of sternness in colon stem cells and colon cancer stem cells. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.