InsP3R, the calcium whisperer: Maintaining mitochondrial function in cancer.

Mitochondrial metabolism is essential to fulfill the large demand for macromolecule biosynthesis in cancer. We recently identified low-level InsP3R-mediated Ca(2+) transfer to mitochondria as an unexpected requirement for mitochondrial function. Here we reveal that its absence specifically targets cancer cells and causes necrosis at daughter cell separation during ongoing proliferation.