p62 at the Crossroads of Autophagy, Apoptosis, and Cancer

The signaling adaptor p62 is a multidomain protein implicated in the activation of the transcription factor NF-kappa B. Recent findings link p62 activity to the extrinsic apoptosis pathway, and Mathew et al. (2009) now show that the modulation of p62 by autophagy is a key factor in tumorigenesis. These findings place p62 at critical decision points that control cell death and survival.