Article
Cell Biology
Jackson O. Gardner, Andrew M. Leidal, Tan A. Nguyen, Jayanta Debnath
Summary: LC3-dependent EV loading and secretion is a secretory autophagy pathway that packages cytosolic cargos into extracellular vesicles (EVs) for secretion. TFRC, a transmembrane protein, is identified as a cargo of this pathway and its packaging and secretion into EVs requires components of the MAP1LC3/LC3-conjugation machinery, ESCRT pathway components, and the small GTPase RAB27A.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Hu-Qiang He, Yuan-Qing Qu, Betty Yuen Kwan Law, Cong-Ling Qiu, Yu Han, Ivo Ricardo de Seabra Rodrigues Dias, Yong Liu, Jie Zhang, An-Guo Wu, Cheng-Wen Wu, Simon Wing Fai Mok, Xin Cheng, Yan-Zheng He, Vincent Kam Wai Wong
Summary: The study found that calcification was upregulated in HASMCs treated with AGEs when autophagy and apoptosis were activated. However, AGEs-activated calcification and apoptosis were suppressed in Atg7 knockout cells or pretreated with wortmannin (WM), an autophagy inhibitor. This suggests potential clinical applications for autophagy inhibitors in the treatment of diabetes-related vascular calcification.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Nemanja Vujic, Ivan Bradic, Madeleine Goeritzer, Katharina B. Kuentzel, Silvia Rainer, Dagmar Kratky, Branislav Radovic
Summary: The study shows that loss of ATG5 results in depletion of LC3-II, while loss of ATG7 has no significant impact on LC3-PE conjugation. The level of LC3 lipidation in macrophages under inflammatory stimuli is determined by their metabolic status, with ATG7 playing a supportive but nonessential role.
Review
Oncology
David Kessel
Summary: Recent studies suggest that photosensitizing agents containing ruthenium (Ru) may have potential for treating bladder cancer, although their limited absorbance spectrum below 600 nm suggests application only in cases with a thin layer of malignant cells. A particularly interesting finding is a protocol using only Ru nanoparticles. However, several issues remain, including the limited absorbance spectrum, questions concerning methodology, and a general lack of detail regarding localization and death pathways.
PHOTODIAGNOSIS AND PHOTODYNAMIC THERAPY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Eric Chekwube Aniogo, Blassan P. George, Heidi Abrahamse
Summary: Cancer resistance is a major concern in cancer treatment. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photobiomodulation (PBM) can improve therapeutic outcomes, and PBM may enhance the anti-tumor efficacy of ZnPcS4-PDT on resistant MCF-7 breast cancer cells by inducing autophagy.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Meiqi Chang, Xinyue Dai, Caihong Dong, Hui Huang, Li Ding, Yu Chen, Wei Feng
Summary: This work presents an irradiation-free photodynamic therapy nanosystem based on two-dimensional CaAl2O4:Eu,Nd persistent luminescence nanosheets and a mitochondria-targeting photosensitizer. This nanosystem generates cytotoxic singlet oxygen and inhibits autophagy, leading to effective cancer treatment.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dimakatso R. Mokoena, Blassan P. George, Heidi Abrahamse
Summary: Breast cancer, originating from ducts or lobules, ranks as the second most common cancer globally. Risk factors include age, mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, and dense breast tissue. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has shown promise as a less invasive treatment option with reduced harm to normal cells and tissues.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Beren Aylan, Elliott M. M. Bernard, Enrica Pellegrino, Laure Botella, Antony Fearns, Natalia Athanasiadi, Claudio Bussi, Pierre Santucci, Maximiliano G. G. Gutierrez
Summary: Autophagy is a cellular defence mechanism against intracellular microorganisms, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). The study showed that ATG7 and ATG14 are both required for restricting Mtb replication in human macrophages.
NATURE MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Yinfeng Xu, Chuying Qian, Qian Wang, Lijiang Song, Zhengfu He, Wei Liu, Wei Wan
Summary: ATG7 acetylation tightly controls its enzyme activity, disrupting its interaction with ATG3 and inhibiting LC3 lipidation. Cellular deacetylation of ATG7 induces macroautophagy and LC3-associated microautophagy, which are crucial for the elimination of cytoplasmic DNA and the degradation of lysosome membrane proteins, respectively.
Article
Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine
Xiumei Zhuang, Xiaoxuan Lin, Ruogu Xu, Zhengchuan Zhang, Bin Zhou, Feilong Deng
Summary: Oral myofibroblasts resist apoptosis induced by irradiation through autophagy activation. Silencing ATG7 inhibits autophagy and promotes apoptosis of oral myofibroblasts.
JOURNAL OF ORAL PATHOLOGY & MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Won Jin Cho, David Kessel, Joseph Rakowski, Brian Loughery, Abdo J. Najy, Tri Pham, Seongho Kim, Yong Tae Kwon, Ikuko Kato, Harold E. Kim, Hyeong-Reh C. Kim
Summary: This study aims to understand the molecular basis of radiotherapy resistance in advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and found that autophagy pathway is upregulated in therapy-resistant HNSCC. Additionally, photodynamic therapy (PDT) directed at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)/mitochondria can promote radiotoxicity by inducing programmed cell death. Furthermore, the study suggests that ER/mitochondria-targeted PDT can serve as a radiosensitizer in intrinsically radioresistant HNSCC with increased autophagic flux.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Pinghu Zhang, Li Ling, Zuguo Zheng, Yuqian Zhang, Ronghua Wang, Min Wu, Ni Zhang, Maozhi Hu, Xiaohui Yang
Summary: This study demonstrated that a investigational inducer called w09 can induce both selective autophagy and alternative autophagy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with different effects on cell apoptosis and autophagic cell death. The induction of these two types of autophagy by w09 is mediated through inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. A special attention must be paid to distinguish which kinds of autophagy have been induced by autophagy inducers with antitumor agents targeting this pathway.
PHARMACOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Viktoria Pevna, Georges Wagnieres, Veronika Huntosova
Summary: This study found that combining PDT with PBM in the treatment of glioblastoma can improve treatment efficacy and lead to apoptosis. PBM stimulates autophagy and results in changes in specific protein levels within the cells.
Article
Cell Biology
Chu-Che Lee, Jen-Pi Tsai, Hsiang-Lin Lee, Yung-Jen Chen, Yong-Syuan Chen, Yi-Hsien Hsieh, Jin-Cherng Chen
Summary: In this study, Timosaponin AIII (TSAIII) was found to inhibit the growth of glioma cells by inducing cell death, mitochondrial dysfunction, and autophagy activation. The results suggest that TSAIII exhibits antitumor effects and may have potential as a therapy for glioma.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Andrea Barrientos-Riosalido, Monica Real, Laia Bertran, Carmen Aguilar, Salome Martinez, David Parada, Margarita Vives, Fatima Sabench, David Riesco, Daniel Del Castillo, Cristobal Richart, Teresa Auguet
Summary: This study analyzed the expression of ATG7 gene in obesity-associated NAFLD and found that ATG7 was highly expressed in NASH patients. ATG7 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of NAFLD, especially in NASH, possibly having a protective effect.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)