Hypoxia-inducible factor 3 alpha 1's impact on colorectal cancer and metastasis.

Liver metastasis is a major cause of death in patients with colorectal cancer and is a significant obstacle to successful treatment. Here we demonstrate that hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-3 alpha 1, a neglected transcriptional factor from the oxygen signaling pathway, promotes cellular iron accumulation and an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition phenotype, resulting in increased migration of colon cancer cells and colorectal cancer liver metastasis.