Modeling HIF-ILK Interaction Using Continuous Petri Nets

Abstract

Oxygen concentration in tumor micro-environment is a well-established signal that can induce aggressive cancer behaviour. In particular, low oxygen levels (hypoxia) activate the Hypoxia-Inducible Factor(HIF) pathway which has an array of target systems. One of these systems is Integrin-Linked Kinase (ILK) pathway, which influences key signaling pathways for cell survival, proliferation, and migration. Hence, this paper aimed to explore the interconnection between these two pathways. Using the Petri net modeling tool Snoopy, an established HIF network model was transformed to be a continuous Petri net. Subsequently, the network was expanded to incorporate a feedback element from the ILK pathway to HIF, based on gene expression data. The resulting model conserved the oxygen switch response of the original HIF model and positively amplified HIF's output. Therefore, this model provides a starting point for establishing a system reflecting crucial effect on hypoxia-induced cancer behavior, and could potentially serve as a basis for future drug development.