Indeed, this study revealed that the induction of HIF-1α under hypoxia has two effects in tumor cells: i) HIF-1α triggers the phosphorylation of Src, by a yet undefined mechanism, which subsequently phosphorylates the tyrosine residue Y705 of STAT3; ii) HIF-1α activates autophagy by a mechanism involving the increased expression of BNIP3/BNIP3L and the dissociation of the BECN1/Bcl-2 complex. This evidence concerns the gene BECN1 and neoplasm.