Cells 2012, 1(3), 520-534; doi:10.3390/cells1030520
Review

Autophagy and Cancer

Francesca Aredia 1 email, Luis Miguel Guamán Ortiz 1,2 email, Vincenzo Giansanti 1 email and A. Ivana Scovassi 1,* email
1 IGM-CNR, Via Abbiategrasso 207, Pavia 27100, Italy 2 UTPL, Loja 1101608, Ecuador
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 14 June 2012; in revised form: 28 June 2012 / Accepted: 30 July 2012 / Published: 13 August 2012
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Autophagy)
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Abstract: Autophagy is a housekeeping survival mechanism with a protective function against stress conditions. However, when stress severity or duration increases, it may promote cell death. Paradoxically, autophagy favors cancer development, since cancer cells could enhance their proliferation potential (thus becoming able to resist anticancer therapy) thanks to the energetic supply provided by organelle degradation typically driven by autophagy following a stepwise pathway. The main actors of the autophagic machinery as well as the features shared with apoptosis will be described. Special attention will be paid to the effects of autophagy manipulation.
Keywords: apoptosis; autophagy; cancer; cell death

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Cite This Article

MDPI and ACS Style

Aredia, F.; Guamán Ortiz, L.M.; Giansanti, V.; Scovassi, A.I. Autophagy and Cancer. Cells 2012, 1, 520-534.

AMA Style

Aredia F, Guamán Ortiz LM, Giansanti V, Scovassi AI. Autophagy and Cancer. Cells. 2012; 1(3):520-534.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Aredia, Francesca; Guamán Ortiz, Luis Miguel; Giansanti, Vincenzo; Scovassi, A. Ivana. 2012. "Autophagy and Cancer." Cells 1, no. 3: 520-534.

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