p62: a versatile multitasker takes on cancer.

Overview

Since its initial discovery as an atypical protein kinase C (PKC)-interacting protein, p62 has emerged as a crucial molecule in a myriad of cellular functions. This multifunctional role of p62 is explained by its ability to interact with several key components of various signaling mechanisms. Not surprisingly, p62 is required for tumor transformation owing to its roles as a key molecule in nutrient sensing, as a regulator and substrate of autophagy, as an inducer of oxidative detoxifying proteins, and as a modulator of mitotic transit and genomic stability; all crucial events in the control of cell growth and cancer.