Histone deacetylase inhibitors induce VHL and ubiquitin-independent proteasomal degradation of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α

Adaptation to hypoxic microenvironment is critical for tumor survival and metastatic spread. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1 alpha) plays a key role in this adaptation by stimulating the production of proangiogenic factors and inducing enzymes necessary for anaerobic metabolism. Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs) produce a marked inhibition of HIF-1 alpha expression and are currently in clinical trials partly based on their potent antiangiogenic effects. Although it has been postulated that HDACIs affect HIF-1 alpha expression by enhancing its interactions with VHL (von Hippel Lindau), thus promoting its ubiquitination and degradation, the actual mechanisms by which HDACIs decrease HIF-1 alpha levels are not clear. Here, we present data indicating that HDACIs induce the proteasomal degradation of HIF-1 alpha by a mechanism that is independent of VHL and p53 and does not require the ubiquitin system. This degradation pathway involves the enhanced interaction of HIF-1 alpha with HSP70 and is secondary to a disruption of the HSP70/HSP90 axis function that appears mediated by the activity of HDAC-6.