Systems biology of oxygen homeostasis

Metazoan species maintain oxygen homeostasis through the activity of hypoxia-inducible factors, which are transcriptional activators that regulate the expression of hundreds of genes to match O-2 supply and demand. Here, we review the involvement of hypoxia-inducible factors in the molecular physiology and pathophysiology of cellular O-2 sensing, O-2 delivery, O-2 utilization, and systemic O-2 sensing. (C) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.