Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Paramyxoviruses for Tumor-targeted Immunomodulation: Design and Evaluation Ex Vivo
12:42

Paramyxoviruses for Tumor-targeted Immunomodulation: Design and Evaluation Ex Vivo

Published on: January 7, 2019

Adenoviruses induce autophagy to promote virus replication and oncolysis

Humberto Rodriguez-Rocha1, Jorge G Gomez-Gutierrez, Aracely Garcia-Garcia

  • 1Department of Surgery, University of Louisville School of Medicine, KY 40292, USA.

Virology
|May 18, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Adenoviruses induce autophagy, a cellular process that aids their replication. Enhancing autophagy boosts viral yield and oncolytic cancer therapy effectiveness, suggesting new treatment strategies.

Area of Science:

  • Oncolytic virotherapy
  • Cellular biology
  • Cancer research

Background:

  • Adenoviruses lacking E1b are used in clinical trials for cancer treatment.
  • The efficacy of oncolytic virotherapy depends on viral replication within cancer cells.
  • Understanding viral replication mechanisms is crucial for improving oncolytic therapy outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of autophagy in adenovirus replication.
  • To determine the correlation between autophagy and oncolytic virotherapy efficacy.

Main Methods:

  • Adenoviruses were used to infect cancer cells.
  • Autophagy was modulated using 3-methyladenine (3MA) to inhibit and rapamycin to promote the process.
  • Levels of LC3-I to LC3-II conversion and Atg12-Atg5 complex formation were measured.
  • Adenovirus replication and protein synthesis were quantified.

Main Results:

  • Adenoviruses were found to induce autophagy, evidenced by increased LC3-II and Atg12-Atg5 complex formation.
  • Inhibition of autophagy with 3MA significantly reduced viral replication and protein synthesis.
  • Promotion of autophagy with rapamycin enhanced adenovirus yield.
  • A positive correlation was observed between adenovirus-induced autophagy, viral replication, and oncolytic cell death.

Conclusions:

  • Adenovirus-induced autophagy is a key factor supporting viral replication.
  • Autophagy likely provides essential nutrients for the production of new viral particles.
  • Targeting cancer cell autophagy could enhance the effectiveness of oncolytic virotherapy.

More Related Videos

siRNA Electroporation to Modulate Autophagy in Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1-Infected Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells09:10

siRNA Electroporation to Modulate Autophagy in Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1-Infected Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells

Published on: October 28, 2019

Quantitative Analysis of Autophagy using Advanced 3D Fluorescence Microscopy09:59

Quantitative Analysis of Autophagy using Advanced 3D Fluorescence Microscopy

Published on: May 3, 2013

Related Concept Videos

Autophagic Cell Death01:18

Autophagic Cell Death

Christian de Duve discovered “autophagy,” a process in which cellular components are engulfed by membrane-bound organelles called autophagosomes. The autophagosomes then fuse with lysosomes to digest the enclosed contents. Autophagy is generally activated in cells to prevent cell death. However, cell death is triggered when the damage is beyond repair.
Autophagy and Apoptosis
Autophagy can activate apoptosis. In normal conditions, the autophagy activating protein Beclin-1 and pro-apoptotic...
Delivery Pathways to the Lysosome01:36

Delivery Pathways to the Lysosome

Eukaryotic cells use different mechanisms to eliminate toxic waste obsolete and worn-out substances. Lysosomes play a pivotal role in this, and hence, these substances are carried to the lysosome from other parts of the cell and extracellular space through different pathways. The most elaborately studied pathways to the lysosome are the endocytic pathways.
Endocytosis
In endocytosis, the cell membrane takes up macromolecules and particles from the surrounding medium. Clathrin-mediated...
Autophagy01:27

Autophagy

Autophagy is a self-digesting process by which a cell protects itself from threats both within and outside the cell, ranging from abnormal proteins to invading bacteria. In this process, obsolete components of the cell and invading microbes are degraded by hydrolytic enzymes active in an acidic environment of the lysosomal lumen.
An autophagic pathway consists of a series of signaling events activated in response to diverse stress and physiological conditions such as food deprivation,...
Mechanisms of Retrovirus-induced Cancers01:51

Mechanisms of Retrovirus-induced Cancers

Retroviruses are RNA viruses that have been shown to cause cancers in diverse species, including chickens, mice, cats, and monkeys. The RNA genomes of these viruses are first reverse-transcribed into single and then double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) copies. This dsDNA called proviral DNA then integrates into the host genome. Subsequently, the host cell transcribes the proviral DNA in concert with the chromosomal DNA. This leads to the production of viral RNA and proteins that assemble at the host...
Mechanisms of Retrovirus-induced Cancers01:51

Mechanisms of Retrovirus-induced Cancers

Retroviruses are RNA viruses that have been shown to cause cancers in diverse species, including chickens, mice, cats, and monkeys. The RNA genomes of these viruses are first reverse-transcribed into single and then double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) copies. This dsDNA called proviral DNA then integrates into the host genome. Subsequently, the host cell transcribes the proviral DNA in concert with the chromosomal DNA. This leads to the production of viral RNA and proteins that assemble at the host...
Cellular Injury V: Apoptosis and Autophagy01:22

Cellular Injury V: Apoptosis and Autophagy

Cells respond to damage and stress through highly coordinated processes that decide whether they survive or undergo controlled self-destruction. Two major pathways involved in this regulation are apoptosis, a type of programmed cell death, and autophagy, a survival mechanism that helps cells adapt to adverse conditions.ApoptosisApoptosis removes aged or injured cells to maintain tissue balance. During this process, the cell shrinks, chromatin condenses and fragments, and membrane-bound...