BNIP3 Upregulation Characterizes Cancer Cell Subpopulation With Increased Fitness and Proliferation.

BNIP3 is a BH3-only protein with both pro-apoptotic and pro-survival roles depending on the cellular context. It remains unclear how BNIP3 RNA level dictates cell fate decisions of cancer cells. Here, we undertook a quantitative analysis of BNIP3 expression and functions in single-cell datasets of various epithelial malignancies.