However, cells undergoing pyknosis in response to nickel plus zinc combination could not survive or undergo transformation (Fig. 5e) and could not maintain mRNAs of MAGEAs, AFP, FOXM1, SP1, MTF1 and LIN28B suggesting the expression of C19MC miRNAs in deciding the survival or death of cancer cells that are defective in the p53 transcriptional program. This evidence concerns the gene MTF1 and cancer.