Cumulative evidences implicate the presence and activation of HIF-1α transcription factor in a variety of inflammatory diseases including CS-induced COPD, and recent studies have signified its critical importance in regulating the phagocyte function and inflammatory mediator production (Olson and van der Vliet, 2011; Ding et al., 2015). The gene discussed is HIF1A; the disease is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.