Semenza · Journal of bioenergetics and biomembranes 2007 · narrative review · n=?

HIF-1 mediates the Warburg effect in clear cell renal carcinoma.

Cited 283 times in the scientific literature.

Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data

Narrative review of bench and molecular mechanisms without clinical trial or patient cohort data.

PubMed 17551816 · doi:10.1007/s10863-007-9081-2 · record verified 2026-08-30

What was done

This paper reviews the molecular pathway linking von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) protein loss-of-function to hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) dysregulation and metabolic reprogramming in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

What was found

The abstract reports no numerical data. Mechanistically, oxygen-dependent proline hydroxylation on HIF-1alpha enables binding of VHL for proteasomal degradation. In clear cell renal carcinoma, biallelic VHL inactivation prevents this degradation, causing constitutive HIF-1 transcriptional activity under aerobic conditions. This drives increased glucose uptake, glycolysis, and lactate production alongside decreased cellular respiration.

Why it matters

It outlines a defined genetic and transcriptional mechanism explaining aerobic glycolysis in clear cell renal cell carcinoma, linking a specific tumor suppressor loss to cancer metabolic shifts.

Limits

The abstract describes a narrative mechanistic model without reporting primary experimental numbers, sample sizes, clinical outcome data, or therapeutic intervention results.

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