MAPK1 and keloid: In addition, a series of bioinformatics analyses and in vitro experiments revealed that HIF-1α is an upstream positive regulator of HOXC6, and the ERK/MAPK pathway was downstream of HIF-1α-induced HOXC6 expression in KFs, implying a vital role for HOXC6 in the HIF-1α/HOXC6/ERK axis in the progression of keloids.