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The hallmarks of cancer currently define the molecular mechanisms responsible for conferring specific tumor phenotypes. Recently, these characteristics were also connected to the status of the secretory pathway, thereby linking the functionality of this cellular machinery to the acquisition of cancer cell features. The secretory pathway ensures the biogenesis of proteins that are membrane-bound or secreted into the extracellular milieu and can control its own homeostasis through an adaptive signaling pathway named the unfolded protein response (UPR). In the present review, we discuss the specific features of the UPR in various tumor types and the impact of the selective activation of this pathway on cell transformation, tumor development and aggressiveness., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The accumulation of misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) activates the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR(ER)) to restore ER homeostasis. The AAA(+) ATPase p97/CDC-48 plays key roles in ER stress by promoting both ER protein degradation and transcription of UPR(ER) genes. Although the mechanisms associated with protein degradation are now well established, the molecular events involved in the regulation of gene transcription by p97/CDC-48 remain unclear. Using a reporter-based genome-wide RNAi screen in combination with quantitative proteomic analysis in Caenorhabditis elegans, we have identified RUVB-2, a AAA(+) ATPase, as a novel repressor of a subset of UPR(ER) genes. We show that degradation of RUVB-2 by CDC-48 enhances expression of ER stress response genes through an XBP1-dependent mechanism. The functional interplay between CDC-48 and RUVB-2 in controlling transcription of select UPR(ER) genes appears conserved in human cells. Together, these results describe a novel role for p97/CDC-48, whereby its role in protein degradation is integrated with its role in regulating expression of ER stress response genes., (© 2015 The Authors.)