PDC and cancer: In hypoxic cancer cells, increased expression of HIF‐1α induces gene expression of several key enzymes in the glycolytic pathway as well as it increases expression of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 (PDK1) which phosphorylates PDH and hence inhibits PDC activity (minimizing pyruvate oxidation to acetyl‐CoA and its further metabolism in the Krebs Cycle in the mitochondria).