Regulated cell death mechanisms are essential for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. Evasion of cell death is one of the most important hallmarks of cancer. Necroptosis is a caspase independent form of regulated cell death, investigated as a novel therapeutic strategy to eradicate apoptosis resistant cancer cells. The process can be triggered by a variety of stimuli and is controlled by the activation of RIP kinases family as well as MLKL. The well-studied executor, RIPK1, is able to modulate key cellular events through the interaction with several proteins, acting as strategic crossroads of several molecular pathways. Little evidence is reported about its involvement in tumorigenesis. In this review, we summarize current studies on the biological relevance of necroptosis, its contradictory role in cancer and its function in cell fate control. Targeting necroptosis might be a novel therapeutic intervention strategy in anticancer therapies as a pharmacologically controllable event.

Sirtuins, a family of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺)-dependent lysine deacetylases, are promising targets for anticancer treatment. Recently, we characterized a novel pan-sirtuin (SIRT) inhibitor, MC2494, displaying antiproliferative effects and able to induce death pathways in several human cancer cell lines and decrease tumor growth in vivo. Based on the chemical scaffold of MC2494, and by applying a structure–activity relationship approach, we developed a small library of derivative compounds and extensively analyzed their enzymatic action at cellular level as well as their ability to induce cell death. We also investigated the effect of MC2494 on regulation of cell cycle progression in different cancer cell lines. Our investigations indicated that chemical substitutions applied to MC2494 scaffold did not confer higher efficacy in terms of biological activity and SIRT1 inhibition, but carbethoxy-containing derivatives showed higher SIRT2 specificity. The carbethoxy derivative of MC2494 and its 2-methyl analog displayed the strongest enzymatic activity. Applied chemical modifications improved the enzymatic selectivity of these SIRT inhibitors. Additionally, the observed activity of MC2494 via cell cycle and apoptotic regulation and inhibition of cell migration supports the potential role of SIRTs as targets in tumorigenesis and makes SIRT-targeting molecules good candidates for novel pharmacological approaches in personalized medicine.

Histone modifications, as key chromatin regulators, play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of several diseases, such as cancer. Acetylation, and more specifically lysine acetylation, is a reversible epigenetic process with a fundamental role in cell life, able to target histone and non-histone proteins. This epigenetic modification regulates transcriptional processes and protein activity, stability, and localization. Several studies highlight a specific role for HAT1 in regulating molecular pathways, which are altered in several pathologies, among which is cancer. HAT1 is the first histone acetyltransferase discovered; however, to date, its biological characterization is still unclear. In this review, we summarize and update the current knowledge about the biological function of this acetyltransferase, highlighting recent advances of HAT1 in the pathogenesis of cancer.

Hematological malignancies are among the top five most frequent forms of cancer in developed countries worldwide. Although the new therapeutic approaches have improved the quality and the life expectancy of patients, the high rate of recurrence and drug resistance are the main issues for counteracting blood disorders. Chemotherapy-resistant leukemic clones activate molecular processes for biological survival, preventing the activation of regulated cell death pathways, leading to cancer progression. In the past decade, leukemia research has predominantly centered around modulating the well-established processes of apoptosis (type I cell death) and autophagy (type II cell death). However, the development of therapy resistance and the adaptive nature of leukemic clones have rendered targeting these cell death pathways ineffective. The identification of novel cell death mechanisms, as categorized by the Nomenclature Committee on Cell Death (NCCD), has provided researchers with new tools to overcome survival mechanisms and activate alternative molecular pathways. This review aims to synthesize information on these recently discovered RCD mechanisms in the major types of leukemia, providing researchers with a comprehensive overview of cell death and its modulation.