Marked and rapid effects of pharmacological HIF-2α antagonism on hypoxic ventilatory control
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Xiaotong Cheng Maria Prange-Barczynska James W Fielding Minghao Zhang Alana L Burrell Joanna DCC Lima Luise Eckardt Isobel LA Argles Christopher W Pugh Keith J Buckler Peter A Robbins Emma Hodson Richard K Bruick Lucy Collinson Fraydoon Rastinejad Tammie Bishop Peter RatcliffeAbstract
Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) is strikingly upregulated in many types of cancer, and there is great interest in applying inhibitors of HIF as anticancer therapeutics. The most advanced of these are small molecules that target the HIF-2 isoform through binding the PAS-B domain of HIF-2α. These molecules are undergoing clinical trials with promising results in renal and other cancers where HIF-2 is considered to be driving growth. Nevertheless, a central question remains as to whether such inhibitors affect physiological responses to hypoxia at relevant doses. Here, we show that pharmacological HIF-2α inhibition with PT2385, at doses similar to those reported to inhibit tumor growth, rapidly impaired ventilatory responses to hypoxia, abrogating both ventilatory acclimatization and carotid body cell proliferative responses to sustained hypoxia. Mice carrying a HIF-2α PAS-B S305M mutation that disrupts PT2385 binding, but not dimerization with HIF-1β, did not respond to PT2385, indicating that these effects are on-target. Furthermore, the finding of a hypomorphic ventilatory phenotype in untreated HIF-2α S305M mutant mice suggests a function for the HIF-2α PAS-B domain beyond heterodimerization with HIF-1β. Although PT2385 was well tolerated, the findings indicate the need for caution in patients who are dependent on hypoxic ventilatory drive.
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Volume 130
Issue number 5
Pages 2237-2251
Available online
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Publisher website (DOI) 10.1172/jci133194
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Europe PubMed Central 31999648
Pubmed 31999648
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