HK2 and cancer: HIF-1 is a transcription factor of special relevance in the metabolic rewiring of cancer cells, as it mediates cellular adaptation to hypoxic stress by upregulating several downstream targets, among which hexokinase-2 (HK2) and lactate dehydrogenase-A (LDH-A) [36], that increase glucose utilization and boost aerobic glycolysis [37].