Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40069152›Full record

ArticleNature communications2025

VDAC2 and Bak scarcity in liver mitochondria enables targeting hepatocarcinoma while sparing hepatocytes.

Shamim Naghdi, Piyush Mishra, Soumya Sinha Roy, David Weaver, Ludivine Walter, Erika Davies, Anil Noronha Antony, Xuena Lin, Gisela Moehren, Mark A Feitelson and 7 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. VDAC2: an emerging pivotal and multifaceted regulator in tumor biology.Apoptosis : an international journal on programmed cell death · 2026
    Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Shamim Naghdi *MitoCare Center, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine and Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Piyush Mishra *MitoCare Center, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine and Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Soumya Sinha Roy *MitoCare Center, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine and Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
David Weaver *MitoCare Center, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine and Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Ludivine WalterMitoCare Center, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine and Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Erika DaviesMitoCare Center, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine and Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Anil Noronha AntonyMitoCare Center, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine and Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Xuena LinMitoCare Center, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine and Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Gisela MoehrenMitoCare Center, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine and Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Mark A FeitelsonMitoCare Center, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine and Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Christopher A ReedDepartment of Cancer Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Tullia LindstenDepartment of Cancer Biology, Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Craig B ThompsonDepartment of Cancer Biology, Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3580-2751
Hien T DangDepartment of Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Jan B HoekMitoCare Center, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine and Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Erik S KnudsenDepartment of Cancer Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
György HajnóczkyMitoCare Center, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine and Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA. gyorgy.hajnoczky@jefferson.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3813-2570

Funding

X-Ray Crystallography and Macromolecular CharacterizationP30CA056036 · NCI · THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY · PI Claudio Guillermo Giraudo · 1995 to 2026
$94.8M
(PQ5) Relevance of VDAC2 heterogeneity for hepatic tumor growth and targetingR01CA216254 · NCI · THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY · PI HAJNOCZKY, GYORGY · 2018 to 2022
$2.0M
NCI NIH HHS P30 CA056036NCI NIH HHS R01 CA216254
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Differences between normal tissues and invading tumors that allow tumor targeting while saving normal tissue are much sought after. Here we show that scarcity of VDAC2, and the consequent lack of Bak recruitment to mitochondria, renders hepatocyte mitochondria resistant to permeabilization by truncated Bid (tBid), a Bcl-2 Homology 3 (BH3)-only, Bcl-2 family protein. Increased VDAC2 and Bak is found in most human liver cancers and mitochondria from tumors and hepatic cancer cell lines exhibit VDAC2- and Bak-dependent tBid sensitivity. Exploring potential therapeutic targeting, we find that combinations of activators of the tBid pathway with inhibitors of the Bcl-2 family proteins that suppress Bak activation enhance VDAC2-dependent death of hepatocarcinoma cells with little effect on normal hepatocytes. Furthermore, in vivo, combination of S63845, a selective Mcl-1 inhibitor, with tumor-nectrosis factor-related, apoptosis-induncing ligand (TRAIL) peptide reduces tumor growth, but only in tumors expressing VDAC2. Thus, we describe mitochondrial molecular fingerprint that discriminates liver from hepatocarcinoma and allows sparing normal tissue while targeting tumors.

Indexed as

bcl-2 Homologous Antagonist-Killer ProteinCarcinoma, HepatocellularHepatocytesLiver NeoplasmsMitochondria, LiverVoltage-Dependent Anion Channel 2AnimalsApoptosisBH3 Interacting Domain Death Agonist ProteinCell Line, TumorHumansMiceTNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing LigandBAK1 protein, humanbcl-2 Homologous Antagonist-Killer ProteinBH3 Interacting Domain Death Agonist ProteinTNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing LigandVDAC2 protein, humanVoltage-Dependent Anion Channel 2

Identifiers

PMID40069152
PMCPMC11897174

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.