Room No. 239, Laboratory Oncology Unit, Dr BRA IRCH, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
Clin Transl Oncol. 2022 Aug;24(8):1459-1469. doi: 10.1007/s12094-022-02804-z. Epub 2022 Feb 26.
Autophagy is a lysosomal degradation pathway that is constitutively active in almost every cell of our body at basal level. This self-eating process primarily serves to remove superfluous constituents of the cells and recycle the degraded products. Autophagy plays an essential role in cell homeostasis and can be enhanced in response to stressful conditions. Impairment in the regulation of the autophagic pathway is implicated in pathological conditions such as neurodegeneration, cardiac disorders, and cancer. However, the role of autophagy in cancer initiation and development is controversial and context-dependent. Evidence from various studies has shown that autophagy serves dual purpose and may assist in cancer progression or suppression. In the early stages of cancer initiation, autophagy acts as a quality control mechanism and prevents cancer development. When cancer is established and progresses to a later stage, autophagy helps in the survival of these cells through adaptation to stresses, including exposure to anti-cancer drugs. In this review, we highlight various studies on autophagic pathways and describe the role of autophagy in cancer, specifically acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We also discuss the prognostic significance of autophagy genes involved in AML leukemogenesis and implications in conferring resistance to chemotherapy.
自噬是溶酶体降解途径，在我们身体的几乎每一个细胞中都处于基础水平的持续活跃状态。这个自我吞噬的过程主要用于清除细胞内多余的成分，并回收降解产物。自噬在细胞内稳态中起着至关重要的作用，并能响应应激条件而增强。自噬途径的调节受损与神经退行性疾病、心脏疾病和癌症等病理状况有关。然而，自噬在癌症发生和发展中的作用是有争议的，且依赖于具体的上下文。来自各种研究的证据表明，自噬具有双重作用，可能有助于癌症的进展或抑制。在癌症发生的早期阶段，自噬作为一种质量控制机制，防止癌症的发展。当癌症建立并进展到晚期时，自噬通过适应应激（包括暴露于抗癌药物）帮助这些细胞存活。在这篇综述中，我们强调了各种关于自噬途径的研究，并描述了自噬在癌症，特别是急性髓系白血病（AML）中的作用。我们还讨论了参与 AML 白血病发生的自噬基因的预后意义及其对化疗耐药性的影响。
