STAT3-mediated autophagy dependence identifies subtypes of breast cancer where autophagy inhibition can be efficacious.

ABSTRACT: Autophagy is a protein and organelle degradation pathway that is involved in diverse diseases, including cancer. Recent evidence suggests that autophagy is a cell survival mechanism in tumor cells and that its inhibition, especially in combination with other therapy, could be beneficial but it remains unclear if all cancer cells behave the same way when autophagy is inhibited. We inhibited autophagy in a panel of breast cancer cell lines and found that some of them are dependent on autophagy for survival even in nutrient rich conditions without any additional stress, whereas others need autophagy only when stressed. Survival under unstressed conditions is due to cell type-specific autophagy regulation of STAT3 activity and this phenotype is enriched in triple-negative cell lines. This auto

SUBMITTER: Maycotte P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4008672 | biostudies-literature | 2014 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature