Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42085321›Full record

ArticleeLife2026

Mitochondrial ETF insufficiency drives neoplastic growth by selectively optimizing cancer bioenergetics.

David Papadopoli, Ranveer Palia, Predrag Jovanovic, Sébastien Tabariès, Emma Ciccolini, Valerie Sabourin, Sebastian Igelmann, Shannon McLaughlan, Lesley Zhan, HaEun Kim and 17 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in eLife, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing 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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
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

27 authors.

David PapadopoliLady Davis Institute, SMBD JGH, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1248-1839
Ranveer PaliaLady Davis Institute, SMBD JGH, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4265-243X
Predrag JovanovicLady Davis Institute, SMBD JGH, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.
Sébastien TabarièsRosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.
Emma CiccoliniLady Davis Institute, SMBD JGH, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.
Valerie SabourinLady Davis Institute, SMBD JGH, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.
Sebastian IgelmannVIB Center for Cancer Biology, Department of Oncology, KU Leuven and Leuven Cancer Institute (LKI), Leuven, Belgium.
Shannon McLaughlanDepartment of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.
Lesley ZhanDepartment of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.
HaEun KimDepartment of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.
Nabila ChekkalDepartment of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.
Krzysztof J SzkopDepartment of Oncology-Pathology, Science for Life Laboratory, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
Thierry BertomeuInstitute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5313-7057
Jibin ZengLady Davis Institute, SMBD JGH, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.
Julia VassalakisDepartment of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0000-1261-3638
Farzaneh AfzaliDepartment of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada.
Slim MzoughiCenter of OncoGenomics and Innovative Therapeutics (COGIT), Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States.
Ernesto GuccioneCenter of OncoGenomics and Innovative Therapeutics (COGIT), Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7764-5307
Mike TyersProgram in Molecular Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.
Daina AvizonisRosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.
Ola LarssonDepartment of Oncology-Pathology, Science for Life Laboratory, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
Lynne-Marie PostovitDepartment of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8088-4197
Sergej DjuranovicDepartment of Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9417-0822
Josie Ursini-SiegelLady Davis Institute, SMBD JGH, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.
Peter M SiegelDepartment of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5568-6586
Michael PollakLady Davis Institute, SMBD JGH, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3047-0604
Ivan TopisirovicGerald Bronfman Department of Oncology, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5510-9762

Funding

MECHANISMS FOR MODULATION OF MIRNA-MEDIATED GENE SILENCINGR01GM112824 · NIGMS · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI DJURANOVIC, SERGEJ · 2015 to 2023
$3.1M
Dissecting mRNA-ribosome interaction in AU-rich transcriptome of Plasmodium falciparumR01GM136823 · NIGMS · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI DJURANOVIC, SERGEJ · 2021 to 2024
$1.4M
Mechanisms of translational controlR35GM161601 · NIGMS · BROWN UNIVERSITY · PI Sergej Djuranovic · 2026 to 2026
$584k
Canada Research Chairs Tier 1Cancerfonden 22 2186Cancer Research Society NGSCIHR MFE-171312CIHR PJT-183843CIHR PJT-479494NIGMS NIH HHS R01 GM112824NIGMS NIH HHS R01 GM136823NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM161601Swedish Research Council 2020-01665Terry Fox Research Institute TFF-242122the Cancer Research Funds Radiumhemmet 231263
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Mitochondrial electron transport flavoprotein (ETF) insufficiency causes metabolic diseases known as a multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MADD). In contrast to muscle, ETFDH is a non-essential gene in acute lymphoblastic leukemia NALM6 cells, and its expression is reduced across human cancers. In various human cancer cell lines and mouse models, ETF insufficiency caused by decreased ETFDH expression limits flexibility of OXPHOS fuel utilisation but paradoxically increases bioenergetics and accelerates neoplastic growth via activation of the mTORC1/BCL-6/4E-BP1 axis. Collectively, these findings reveal that while ETF insufficiency is rare and has detrimental effects in non-malignant tissues, it is common in neoplasia, where ETFDH downregulation leads to bioenergetic and signaling reprogramming that accelerates neoplastic growth.

Indexed as

Electron-Transferring FlavoproteinsEnergy MetabolismMitochondriaNeoplasmsAnimalsCell Line, TumorHumansMetabolic ReprogrammingMiceSignal TransductionElectron-Transferring Flavoproteinscancer biologycell biologyhumanmetabolismmousemRNA translationsignal transduction

Identifiers

PMID42085321
PMCPMC13143275

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.