Defining the role of HIF and its downstream mediators in hypoxic-induced cerebral angiogenesis.

Now that some of the basic mechanisms that underlie hypoxia-induced cerebral angiogenesis have been described, it has become clear that the hypoxia-inducible transcription factors, HIF-1 and HIF-2, play an important role in the process by causing the upregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The heterogeneity of the brain parenchyma means that further progress in understanding capillary pathophysiology requires techniques that allow determination of the roles of individual components of the neurovascular unit. Multi-stain fluorescence co-localization techniques provide one such approach.