High confidence HIF-1 target genes for quantifying the activation of the HIF-1-mediated hypoxia response

Abstract

The hypoxia-inducible factor 1 ( HIF-1 )-mediated hypoxia response is an evolutionarily conserved stress response that enables adaptation to conditions of low oxygen and mitochondrial dysfunction. This pathway has been shown to affect both stress resistance and longevity. HIF-1 activity is regulated by EGL-9 , VHL-1 , and RHY-1 and induces the expression of genes involved in metabolism and cellular resilience. To find genes that can be used to monitor HIF-1 activation, we compared HIF-1 modulated genes identified by multiple RNA-seq experiments and HIF-1 target genes identified by ChIP-seq experiments. We identified high-confidence HIF-1 target genes that provide robust markers of pathway activation.