When the sphingosine kinase 1/sphingosine 1-phosphate pathway meets hypoxia signaling: new targets for cancer therapy.

The reduction in the normal level of tissue oxygen tension or hypoxia is a characteristic of solid tumors that triggers the activation of signaling pathways promoting neovascularization, metastasis, increased tumor growth, and resistance to treatments. The activation of the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha (HIF-1alpha) has been identified as the master mechanism of adaptation to hypoxia. In a recent study, we identified the sphingosine kinase 1/sphingosine 1-phosphate (SphK1/S1P) pathway, which elicits various cellular processes including cell proliferation, cell survival, or angiogenesis, as a new modulator of HIF-1alpha activity under hypoxic conditions. Here, we consider how the SphK1/S1P signaling pathway could represent a very important target for therapeutic intervention in cancer.