ITPR1 and cancer: For reasons of clarity, we will refer to the former as “normal cells” and to the latter as “cancer cells.” Strikingly, inhibition of IP3R activity, knockdown of IP3R or MCU led in both normal and cancer cells to a so-called “bioenergetic crisis” characterized by a decreased basal and maximal oxygen consumption rate and increased AMPK phosphorylation, subsequently resulting in an increased autophagic flux.