Hypoxia-induced VEGF production ‘RSUMEs’ in pituitary adenomas

Angiogenic markers in pituitary adenomas remain enigmatic in terms of their function in tumorigenesis, despite being upregulated by the normal physiological trigger of hypoxia. In this issue of Endocrine-Related Cancer, Shan et al. report that the novel RWD domain containing protein, RWD-containing sumoylation enhancer, is expressed in human pituitary adenomas and plays a pivotal role in regulating the hypoxia-inducible factor 1α–vascular endothelial growth factor response to hypoxia.