Autophagic Related Proteins in Cancer
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Oncology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 93
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Targeting Autophagy and Metabolic Pathways in Cancer: Challenges and Opportunities for Therapeutic Innovation.
In cancer, the role of autophagy is highly context-dependent, acting as both a tumor suppressor during early tumorigenesis and a pro-survival mechanism in established malignancies. This duality has posed significant challenges in translating autophagy modulation into effective therapeutic strategies.
The interplay between autophagy and cancer metabolism is orchestrated by major signaling pathways such as mTORC1, AMPK, CIP2A, PP2A, and the DNA damage response (DDR) regulators, including DNA-PK and ATM/ATR. These pathways are master regulators of cellular growth, metabolism, and DNA damage response, influencing autophagy through rapid post-translational modifications of key signaling pathways. Autophagy activation is observed as a compensatory mechanism in response to therapies that induce cellular stress, such as DNA damage, mitochondrial dysfunction, and proteasome inhibition.
Targeting mTORC1—a central inhibitor of autophagy—leads to autophagy induction, which enables cancer cells to adapt and survive metabolic and genotoxic stress. Similarly, the activation of AMPK in response to energy depletion or mitochondrial damage enhances autophagy to restore metabolic balance. Additionally, the involvement of DDR components highlights the integration of autophagy with genome integrity maintenance, further underscoring its role as a survival mechanism under therapeutic stress.
The intricate regulation of autophagy by these pathways makes it a promising, yet complex, target for cancer therapy. Autophagy can serve as a biomarker for therapeutic response or resistance, reflecting the metabolic state of cancer cells.
Future studies will be pivotal in unraveling the molecular interplay between autophagy and cancer cell fate. Such insights could facilitate the development of innovative therapeutic strategies, leveraging autophagy not only as a marker but also as a target to improve the efficacy of current and emerging cancer treatments. This Special Issue aims to collect papers focused on addressing autophagy-related processes in the context of cancer. Both research articles and reviews are welcome.
Dr. Pietri Puustinen
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- cancer
- autophagy
- tumor suppressor
- tumorigenesis
- pro-survival mechanism
- therapeutic strategies
- cancer metabolism
- signaling pathways
- mTORC1
- AMPK
- CIP2A
- PP2A
- DNA damage response (DDR)
- DNA-PK
- ATM/ATR
- cellular growth
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
