Oncogenic signaling inhibits c-FLIPL expression and its non-apoptotic function during ECM-detachment.

Inhibition of programmed cell death pathways is frequently observed in cancer cells where it functions to facilitate tumor progression. However, some proteins involved in the regulation of cell death function dichotomously to both promote and inhibit cell death depending on the cellular context. As such, understanding how cell death proteins are regulated in a context-dependent fashion in cancer cells is of utmost importance. We have uncovered evidence that cellular FLICE-like Inhibitory Protein (c-FLIP), a well-known anti-apoptotic protein, is often downregulated in tumor tissue when compared to adjacent normal tissue. These data argue that c-FLIP may have activity distinct from its canonical role in antagonizing cell death. Interestingly, we have discovered that detachment from extracellular matrix (ECM) serves as a signal to elevate c-FLIP transcription and that oncogenic signaling blocks ECM-detachment-induced c-FLIP elevation. In addition, our data reveal that downregulation of c-FLIP promotes luminal filling in mammary acini and that c-FLIP overexpression in cancer cells inhibits colony formation in cells exposed to ECM-detachment. Taken together, our study reveals an unexpected, non-apoptotic role for c-FLIP during ECM-detachment and raises the possibility that c-FLIP may have context-dependent roles during tumorigenesis.

RIPK1-mediated induction of mitophagy compromises the viability of extracellular-matrix-detached cells.

For cancer cells to survive during extracellular matrix (ECM) detachment, they must inhibit anoikis and rectify metabolic deficiencies that cause non-apoptotic cell death. Previous studies in ECM-detached cells have linked non-apoptotic cell death to reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, although the mechanistic underpinnings of this link remain poorly defined. Here, we uncover a role for receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1) in the modulation of ROS and cell viability during ECM detachment. We find that RIPK1 activation during ECM detachment results in mitophagy induction through a mechanism dependent on the mitochondrial phosphatase PGAM5. As a consequence of mitophagy, ECM-detached cells experience diminished NADPH production in the mitochondria, and the subsequent elevation in ROS levels leads to non-apoptotic death. Furthermore, we find that antagonizing RIPK1/PGAM5 enhances tumour formation in vivo. Thus, RIPK1-mediated induction of mitophagy may be an efficacious target for therapeutics aimed at eliminating ECM-detached cancer cells.

Collapsing the Metabolic PON2zi Scheme in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

A hallmark of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cancer (PDAC) cells is metabolic reprogramming that facilitates tumor progression. In a recent paper published in Molecular Cell, Nagarajan et al. discover that paraoxonase (PON)2 stimulates glucose transporter (GLUT)1-mediated glucose uptake, prevents AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-mediated anoikis, and consequently promotes PDAC development and metastasis.