Regulation of tissue perfusion in mammals by hypoxia‐inducible factor 1

The regulation of tissue perfusion is a major mechanism by which oxygen homeostasis is maintained. Hypoxia‐inducible factor 1 (HIF‐1) is a transcriptional regulator that mediates adaptive responses to reduced partial pressure of O 2 in all metazoan species. In mammals, HIF‐1 promotes angiogenesis, arteriogenesis and vasculogenesis through the production of multiple angiogenic growth factors in ischaemic tissue and by cell‐autonomous effects on endothelial cells and bone marrow‐derived angiogenic cells. Administration of viral vectors encoding constitutively active forms of the HIF‐1α subunit results in increased tissue perfusion in animal models of ischaemic cardiovascular disease.