Hypoxia, HIFs and bone development.

Elisa Araldi, Ernestina Schipani

Endocrine Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.

Bone 2010 Aug

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Oxygen is not only an obviously important substrate, but it is also a regulatory signal that controls expression of a specific genetic program. Crucial mediator of the adaptive response of cells to hypoxia is the family of Hypoxia-Inducible Transcription Factors (HIFs).The fetal growth plate, which is an avascular structure of mesenchymal origin, has a unique out-in gradient of oxygenation. HIF-1alpha is necessary for chondrogenesis in vivo by controlling a complex homeostatic response that allows chondrocytes to survive and differentiate in a hypoxic environment. Moreover, HIFs are also essential in osteogenesis and joint development. This brief Perspective summarizes the critical role of HIFs in endochondral bone development. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.