It has been shown that PDK1 is specifically required for the metabolic response to hypoxia and nutrient deprivation in some cancer types; PDK1 phosphorylates pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) to inhibit its activity, thereby reducing the level of pyruvic acid in the tricarboxylic acid cycle, which affects the rates of oxidative phosphorylation [64]. Here, PDK1 is linked to cancer.