Recent insights into apoptosis and toxic autophagy: the roles of MDA-7/IL-24, a multidimensional anti-cancer therapeutic

Publication date: Available online 26 July 2019Source: Seminars in Cancer BiologyAuthor(s): Luni Emdad, Praveen Bhoopathi, Sarmistha Talukdar, Anjan K. Pradhan, Devanand Sarkar, Xiang-Yang Wang, Swadesh K. Das, Paul B. FisherAbstractApoptosis and autophagy play seminal roles in maintaining organ homeostasis. Apoptosis represents canonical type I programmed cell death. Autophagy is viewed as pro-survival, however, excessive autophagy can promote type II cell death. Defective regulation of these two obligatory cellular pathways is linked to various diseases, including cancer. Biologic or chemotherapeutic agents, which can reprogram cancer cells to undergo apoptosis- or toxic autophagy-mediated cell death, are considered effective tools for treating cancer. Melanoma differentiation associated gene-7 (mda-7) selectively promotes these effects in cancer cells. mda-7 was identified more than two decades ago by subtraction hybridization showing elevated expression during induction of terminal differentiation of metastatic melanoma cells following treatment with recombinant fibroblast interferon and mezerein (a PKC activating agent). MDA-7 was classified as a member of the IL-10 gene family based on its chromosomal location, and the presence of an IL-10 signature motif and a secretory sequence, and re-named interleukin-24 (MDA-7/IL-24). Multiple studies have established MDA-7/IL-24 as a potent anti-cancer agent, which when administered at supra-physiological levels induces growth arr...
Source: Seminars in Cancer Biology - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research