Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) is a key process contributing to the aggressiveness of cancer cells. EMT is triggered by activation of different transcription factors collectively known as EMT-TFs. Different cellular cues and cell signalling networks activate EMT at transcriptional and posttranscriptional level in different biological and pathological situations. Among them, overexpression of LOXL2 (lysyl oxidase-like 2) induces EMT independent of its catalytic activity. Remarkably, perinuclear/cytoplasmic accumulation of LOXL2 is a poor prognosis marker of squamous cell carcinomas and is associated to basal breast cancer metastasis by mechanisms no yet fully understood. Here, we report that overexpression of LOXL2 promotes its accumulation in the Endoplasmic Reticulum where it interacts with HSPA5 leading to activation of the IRE1-XBP1 signalling pathway of the ER-stress response. LOXL2-dependent IRE1-XBP1 activation induces the expression of several EMT-TFs: SNAI1, SNAI2, ZEB2 and TCF3 that are direct transcriptional targets of XBP1. Remarkably, inhibition of IRE1 blocks LOXL2-dependent upregulation of EMT-TFs thus hindering EMT induction.

The relationship between levels of cAMP and catabolite repression in yeasts has been investigated. Strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Schizosaccharomyces pombe and Kluyieromyces fragilis were used. The yeasts were grown on different carbon sources to attain various degrees of repression. Galactose repressed as much as glucose, while maltose was less effective. Full derepression was achieved with ethanol. The enzymes tested were fructose-bisphosphatase, malate dehydrogenase, glutamate dehydrogenase (NAD dependent), cytochrome oxidase and isocitrate lyase (this last enzyme was found to be absent in Schizosaccharomyces). The levels of cAMP were 2–3 times higher in the repressed conditions than in the derepressed ones. It is therefore concluded that in yeasts catabolite repression is not mediated by a lowering of the intracellular concentration of cAMP.