The cytoprotective role of HO-1 has also been illustrated in cancer cells, where one study has demonstrated that the upregulation of HO-1 in renal cancer cells promoted their survival capacity via the induction of the expression of pro-survival molecule Bcl-xL and decreased expression of Beclin-1 and LC3B-II, that are involved in the process of autophagy, an effect that has been reversed by HO-1 knockdown (Banerjee et al., 2012). Here, HMOX1 is linked to renal carcinoma.