MAPK8 and hepatocellular carcinoma: In summary, our findings delineate an unexpected pathway regulating the Warburg effect required for HCC cell survival whereby PKM2 activity is negatively regulated by the PARP14-JNK1 axis (Fig. 9e), thus constituting an additional paradigm of how cell metabolism and evasion of apoptosis are inextricably linked3, 9, 54, 55.