Adaptation of the secretory pathway in cancer through IRE1 signaling

The unfolded protein response (UPR) was originally identified as a signaling network coordinating adaptive and apoptotic responses to accumulation of unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). More recent work has shown that UPR signaling can be triggered by a multitude of cellular events and that the UPR plays a critical role in the prevention of cell transformation but also in tumor development. This has been particularly well illustrated with studies on one of the three major ER stress sensors, IRE1. This ER resident type I transmembrane protein senses luminal ER stress and transduce signals through its cytosolic RNase activity. IRE1 signaling has been shown to contribute to the progression of solid tumors through pro-angiogenic mechanisms. Herein, we expose the methodologies for investigating IRE1 signaling in tumor cells and in tumors. Moreover, we show that selective pharmacological inhibition of IRE1 RNase activity sensitizes tumor cells to ER stress.