The Yin-Yang Principle of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and oral cancer.

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is an organelle, which performs several cellular functions and is thus an important site for maintaining cellular homeostasis. Sometimes pathways within the ER are disturbed, especially those regulating the protein folding, gene expression, cellular metabolism, and calcium signaling, and is called an "ER stress."(1) The accumulation of unfolded, misfolded, or damaged proteins can irreparably damage cellular functions and can pose a severe threat to the existence of the cell. Under such circumstances, ER functions become overwhelmed triggering the homeostatic "ER stress response" or "unfolded protein response" (UPR).(2).