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First published online January 24, 2007
doi: 10.1242/10.1242/jcs.03349
Commentary |
1 Department of Pharmacology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 675 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
2 University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 675 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
3 Cancer Institute of New Jersey, 195 Little Albany Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA
4 Department of Medicine, 195 Little Albany Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA
5 Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers University, 679 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
* Author for correspondence (e-mail: ewhite{at}cabm.rutgers.edu)
Accepted 17 October 2006
| Summary |
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Key words: Autophagy, Apoptosis, AKT, mTOR, BCL-2, Beclin1, Cancer
| Introduction |
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It is now apparent that tumor cells with apoptosis defects require the catabolic process of autophagy to provide an alternate energy source in periods of metabolic deprivation to prevent death by necrosis (Degenhardt et al., 2006
; Lum et al., 2005
). Autophagy is a process in which cellular organelles and bulk cytoplasm are targeted for degradation in lysosomes (Klionsky, 2005
). Normal mammalian cells require basal autophagy for normal organelle and protein turnover and autophagy induction is required to sustain metabolism and viability particularly during periods of starvation (Hara et al., 2006
; Komatsu et al., 2006
; Komatsu et al., 2005
; Kuma et al., 2004
). In tumor cells with defects in apoptosis, autophagy is needed to maintain cell metabolism and viability during starvation until the nutrient supply is re-established (Fig. 1). If nutrient deprivation persists, progressive autophagy can ultimately lead to autophagic cell death. Thus, in contrast to apoptosis, which is a death process that is rapid and irreversible, autophagy can be thought of as an interruptible pathway to cell death (Fig. 1). In tumor cells that have defects in apoptosis, autophagy enables them to survive metabolic stress. As such, autophagy may also therefore be an appropriate therapeutic target in cancer.
There is thus an emerging appreciation of the interdependence between cell growth, metabolism and death pathways. Below we discuss recent work that has shed light on the interplay between these processes and the ongoing challenge to translate this knowledge for therapeutic benefit.
| The PI 3-kinase pathway and nutrient availability |
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| The PI 3-kinase pathway is frequently deregulated in cancer |
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Efforts to target mTOR in the clinic have yielded promising initial results, and indeed further drug development (both single agents and combinations) is warranted. Agents such as rapamycin and analogues including CCI-779 and RAD001, for example, inhibit downstream signaling and are currently in clinical trials (Chan, 2004
; Rowinsky, 2004
). Inhibition of mTOR in this way should block tumor growth, which is obviously desirable, but it should also induce autophagy (Fig. 3). The potential impact of such induction on overall tumor cell death therefore needs to be considered and studied further.
| Metabolic stress in tumors |
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induction. It might also be triggered by the accumulation of damaged mitochondria that have an impaired capacity for ATP generation through oxidative phosphorylation (Dang et al., 1997
Another source of nutrients is catabolism achieved by activation of the autophagy pathway (Jin and White, 2007
). In turn, the high energy demand and glycolytic state in tumor cells can potentially feedback to activate autophagy. Note, however, that the ability of the tumor to use an alternate internal nutrient supply through autophagy is restricted (see above). What this therefore creates is a situation in which tumor cells are forced to grow whether or not they have access to nutrients or the capacity to efficiently produce energy. This can result in cell death by apoptosis or necrosis (Fig. 2).
| Apoptosis resistance and metabolic stress |
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When tumor cells have inactivated apoptosis and constitutively activated the PI 3-kinase pathway, which is a common occurrence, there is a significant difference in the response to metabolic stress. These cells cannot downregulate cell growth, activate autophagy or die by apoptosis (Degenhardt et al., 2006
; Jin and White, 2007
). The unrelenting demand for energy, exacerbated by inefficient ATP production by glycolysis and the absence of an alternative energy source generated by autophagy, leads to a necrotic pathway to cell death, which may be the ultimate default mechanism (Degenhardt et al., 2006
; Jin and White, 2007
; Zong et al., 2004
; Zong and Thompson, 2006
). We have designated this `metabolic catastrophe' (Figs 2 and 3). Because this represents a means to induce death in tumor cells resistant to apoptosis, it is a potential therapeutic approach worth exploiting that is applicable to many tumors that are not responsive to treatment (Fig. 3).
| Therapeutic induction of necrosis through metabolic catastrophe |
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kinase, which also inhibits autophagy (Wu et al., 2006
Ironically, necrotic tumors in fact have a poorer prognosis, and chronic necrotic cell death in tumors can be associated with inflammation; one consequence of diversion from apoptotic to necrotic cell death may therefore be altered tumor-host interaction (Degenhardt et al., 2006
; Nelson and White, 2004
). Chronically necrotic tumors provoke chronic inflammation analogous to wounds in which the wound healing cytokine response is usurped to favor tumor growth (Balkwill et al., 2005
; Nelson and White, 2004
; Zeh and Lotze, 2005
). Apoptosis and autophagy could therefore serve to prevent necrosis, and thus limit inflammation and tumor progression in some situations (Degenhardt et al., 2006
; Jin and White, 2007
), although activation of an effective immune response can ultimately favor tumor regression. Thus, controlling necrosis to modulate the appropriate inflammatory response to favor tumor regression remains the challenge.
| Glycolysis as a target |
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| Autophagy as a target |
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| Concluding remarks |
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