Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration of Jiangsu, Ministry of Education, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China.
Northwood High School, Irvine, California, USA.
Cell Biol Int. 2021 Feb;45(2):246-257. doi: 10.1002/cbin.11504. Epub 2020 Dec 1.
Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved process in which the cell degrades its own components and recycles the biomolecules for survival and homeostasis. It is an important cellular process to eliminate pathogens or damaged organelles. Nucleophagy, also termed as nuclear autophagy, is a more recently described subtype of autophagy, in which nuclear components, such as nuclear lamina and DNA, are to be degraded. Nucleophagy plays a double-facet role in the development of cancer. On one hand, the clearance of damaged DNA or nuclear structures via autophagic pathway is crucial to maintain nuclear integrity and prevent tumorigenesis. On the other hand, in later stages of tumor growth, nucleophagy may facilitate cancer cell survival and metastasis in the nutrient-depleted microenvironment. In this review, we discuss the relationship between nucleophagy and cancer along with potential intervention methods to target cancer through manipulating nucleophagy. Given the known observations about nucleophagy, it could be promising to target different nuclear components during the processes of nucleophagy, especially nuclear lamina. Further research on investigating the role of nucleophagy in oncological context could focus on dissecting its remaining molecular pathways and their connection to known tumor suppressors.
自噬是一种进化上保守的过程，细胞通过该过程降解自身成分并回收生物分子以维持生存和体内平衡。它是一种消除病原体或受损细胞器的重要细胞过程。核自噬，也称为核自噬，是最近描述的自噬亚型之一，其中核成分，如核纤层和 DNA，将被降解。核自噬在癌症的发展中起着双重作用。一方面，通过自噬途径清除受损的 DNA 或核结构对于维持核完整性和预防肿瘤发生至关重要。另一方面，在肿瘤生长的后期阶段，核自噬可能有助于营养匮乏的微环境中癌细胞的存活和转移。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了核自噬与癌症之间的关系以及通过操纵核自噬靶向癌症的潜在干预方法。鉴于核自噬的已知观察结果，在核自噬过程中针对不同的核成分（尤其是核纤层）进行靶向可能是有希望的。进一步研究核自噬在肿瘤学背景下的作用可以集中在剖析其剩余的分子途径及其与已知肿瘤抑制因子的联系上。
