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AMTDB: A comprehensive database of autophagic modulators for anti-tumor drug discovery

Jiahui Fu1, Lifeng Wu2,3, Gaoyong Hu4

  • 1School of Traditional Chinese Materia Medica, Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design and Discovery, Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China.

Frontiers in Pharmacology
|August 26, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Autophagy is vital in cancer, prompting the creation of the Autophagic Modulators Database (AMTDB). This resource aids in discovering new cancer drugs by detailing autophagic modulators and their antitumor effects.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Cancer Research
  • Bioinformatics

Background:

  • Autophagy, a cellular process for waste disposal and recovery, is increasingly recognized for its role in various human cancers.
  • Dysregulation of autophagy is linked to the development and progression of numerous cancer types, including breast cancer, osteosarcoma, and glioma.
  • Targeting autophagy presents a promising therapeutic strategy for developing novel anti-cancer drugs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a comprehensive database of autophagic modulators (AMTDB) to facilitate research on autophagy's role in cancer.
  • To provide a valuable resource for understanding the complex relationship between autophagy and human cancers.
  • To support the discovery of new anti-cancer drugs by elucidating autophagic pathways and modulators.

Main Methods:

  • Development of the Autophagic Modulators Database (AMTDB).
  • Curated data encompassing 153 cancer types, 1,153 autophagic regulators, 860 targets, and 2,046 mechanisms/signaling pathways.
  • Implementation of classification methods, advanced retrieval, and target prediction functions.

Main Results:

  • The AMTDB database integrates extensive information on autophagic modulators and their relevance to cancer.
  • The database covers a wide spectrum of cancers, autophagic regulators, targets, and associated signaling pathways.
  • Exclusive features for classification, retrieval, and target prediction are incorporated to meet diverse user needs.

Conclusions:

  • AMTDB serves as a powerful online resource for cancer research.
  • The database is expected to provide new insights for the discovery of candidate anti-cancer drugs.
  • AMTDB facilitates the exploration of crosstalk between autophagic pathways and their modulators in cancer therapy.
Keywords:
AMTDBanti-tumor drugautophagic modulatorautophagydatabase

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