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Review
. 2017 Sep 12;18(9):1959.
doi: 10.3390/ijms18091959.

Therapeutic Implications of Autophagy Inducers in Immunological Disorders, Infection, and Cancer

Sanguine Byun  1 , Eunjung Lee  2 , Ki Won Lee  3   4
Affiliations
Review

Therapeutic Implications of Autophagy Inducers in Immunological Disorders, Infection, and Cancer

Sanguine Byun et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Autophagy is an essential catabolic program that forms part of the stress response and enables cells to break down their own intracellular components within lysosomes for recycling. Accumulating evidence suggests that autophagy plays vital roles in determining pathological outcomes of immune responses and tumorigenesis. Autophagy regulates innate and adaptive immunity affecting the pathologies of infectious, inflammatory, and autoimmune diseases. In cancer, autophagy appears to play distinct roles depending on the context of the malignancy by either promoting or suppressing key determinants of cancer cell survival. This review covers recent developments in the understanding of autophagy and discusses potential therapeutic interventions that may alter the outcomes of certain diseases.

Keywords: activators; autophagy; cancer; immunity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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