Use of ChIP-qPCR to Study the Crosstalk Between HIF and NF-κB Signaling in Hypoxia and Normoxia

Hypoxia and inflammation are intensely connected in a functional crosstalk. Within this crosstalk, two major transcription factors take center stage: HIF and NF-κB. To investigate transcription factor function, an important aspect is its ability to bind DNA. The most appropriate method to study this property in cells is the use of chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by qPCR and/or next generation sequencing. This allows identification of potentially directly regulated genes as well as enhancer regions. Here we describe the ChIP-qPCR method in detail, including key aspects important for the success of the technique.