According to this background, Shibata et al.58 investigated the mRNA expression levels of HIF-1 (α and β) and its target genes (VEGF, GLUT1, PGK1, PFKFB3 and LDHA) in peripheral white blood cells of patients affected by MDD and bipolar disorder (BPD). The gene discussed is PFKFB3; the disease is major depressive disorder.