Epigenetic re-expression of HIF-2α suppresses soft tissue sarcoma growth.

In soft tissue sarcomas (STS), low intratumoural O2 (hypoxia) is a poor prognostic indicator. HIF-1α mediates key transcriptional responses to hypoxia, and promotes STS metastasis; however, the role of the related HIF-2α protein is unknown. Surprisingly, here we show that HIF-2α inhibits high-grade STS cell growth in vivo, as loss of HIF-2α promotes sarcoma proliferation and increases calcium and mTORC1 signalling in undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma and dedifferentiated liposarcoma.