The protein encoded by this gene catalyzes the post-translational formation of 4-hydroxyproline in hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) alpha proteins. HIF is a transcriptional complex that plays a central role in mammalian oxygen homeostasis. This protein functions as a cellular oxygen sensor, and under normal oxygen concentration, modification by prolyl hydroxylation is a key regulatory event that targets HIF subunits for proteasomal destruction via the von Hippel-Lindau ubiquitylation complex. Mutations in this gene are associated with erythrocytosis familial type 3 (ECYT3). [provided by RefSeq, Nov 2009]
Forensic Context
A study in mice demonstrated that chronic alcohol exposure in adult C57BL/6 mice significantly downregulated the EGLN1 in hippocampal tissue, which was identified as a differentially expressed mRNA within a constructed miRNA-mRNA regulatory network associated with neurodegeneration and impaired learning [Du et al. DOI:10.3389/Fphar.2024.1377501]. Separately, research in C57BL/6J mouse embryos showed that a single acute alcohol exposure during neurulation induced significant upregulation of the EGLN1 in the rostroventral neural tube at 2 hours post-exposure, linking it to hypoxia and p53 signaling pathways implicated in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders [Boschen et al. DOI:10.1016/J.Alcohol.2022.09.001].