Autophagy and Cancer 2022

Dear Colleagues,

Autophagy, as a basic homeostatic and catabolic process, is responsible for the degradation and recycling of proteins and cellular components. The mechanism of autophagy has a crucial role in several cellular functions and its dysregulation is associated with tumorigenesis, tumor–stroma interactions, and resistance to cancer therapy. A plethora of studies associate autophagy as a key regulator of the tumor microenvironment and cellular immune response in different types of cancer. It has been proven that autophagy affects the microenvironment of the tumor and vice versa. Cancer cells coexist with their microenvironment, and the role of autophagy in modulating their interactions with other cell types may be a target for the modulation of autophagy, as a potential anti-cancerous treatment. Autophagy is also a key factor in the function of APCs and T-cells. Autophagy is implicated in the presentation of antigens in both MHC-I and MHC-II in dendritic cells (DCs). Finally, autophagy contributes to the functional activity of immune cells by creating T-cell memory, depending on autophagy. Increased levels of autophagy characterize the cross-presentation capability of DCs compared with DCs that do not cross-present antigens, and the autoimmune inhibition that reduces the cross-presentation of MHC-I-mediated MHC-I. This Special Issue will aim to understand and illuminate the role of autophagy in the tumor microenvironment in order to strengthen the response of the immune system and overcome anti-tumor immune resistance in immunotherapy.

In this special issue, the scope includes:

1. The role of autophagy in tumor microenvironment;
2. The role of autophagy as regulator of immune responses;
3. Immune-related signaling molecules that regulate autophagy;
4. The effect of autophagy on modulate immune system components, mainly containing natural killer (NK) cells, macrophages, dendritic cells (DCs), and T and B lymphocytes;
5. How autophagy enhances or attenuates the effect of immunotherapy;
6. How to regulate autophagy to strengthen innate and adaptive immune responses and overcome anti-tumor immune resistance in immunotherapy for tumors.

Dr. Evangelos Koustas
Dr. Panagiotis Sarantis
Guest Editors