Autophagy in stromal fibroblasts promotes tumor desmoplasia and mammary tumorigenesis.

ABSTRACT: Autophagy inhibitors are currently being evaluated in clinical trials for the treatment of diverse cancers, largely due to their ability to impede tumor cell survival and metabolic adaptation. More recently, there is growing interest in whether and how modulating autophagy in the host stroma influences tumorigenesis. Fibroblasts play prominent roles in cancer initiation and progression, including depositing type 1 collagen and other extracellular matrix (ECM) components, thereby stiffening the surrounding tissue to enhance tumor cell proliferation and survival, as well as secreting cytokines that modulate angiogenesis and the immune microenvironment. This constellation of phenotypes, pathologically termed desmoplasia, heralds poor prognosis and reduces patient survival. Using mouse mammary

SUBMITTER: Rudnick JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8247603 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature