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Author Spotlight: A Selective Luciferase-Based Assay for Monitoring ATG4B 27 Activity in Cells
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Author Spotlight: A Selective Luciferase-Based Assay for Monitoring ATG4B 27 Activity in Cells

Published on: June 30, 2023

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Inactivation of Autophagy in Keratinocytes Reduces Tumor Growth in Mouse Models of Epithelial Skin Cancer

Caterina Barresi1, Heidemarie Rossiter1, Maria Buchberger1

  • 1Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria.

Cells
|November 26, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Inhibiting autophagy, a cellular process, by deleting the Atg7 gene in skin cells reduced tumor growth in mouse models of skin cancer. This suggests autophagy supports, rather than suppresses, epidermal tumor development.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Cancer Research
  • Dermatology

Background:

  • Autophagy is a fundamental cellular degradation process crucial for maintaining homeostasis.
  • Its role in cancer, specifically whether it suppresses or supports tumor growth, remains a key question in oncology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of autophagy in epidermal skin tumor development.
  • To determine if inhibiting autophagy affects tumor initiation and progression in the skin.

Main Methods:

  • Inactivated the essential autophagy gene *Atg7* in epidermal keratinocytes of mice.
  • Induced skin tumorigenesis using chemical carcinogens (DMBA/TPA) and a genetic model (K5-SOS EGFR).
  • Compared tumor formation and growth rates between autophagy-deficient (*Atg7* mutant) and autophagy-competent mice.

Main Results:

  • Epithelial *Atg7* deficiency did not prevent tumor formation but significantly reduced the number of tumors per mouse.
  • In the K5-SOS EGFR model, *Atg7* deficient mice showed no tumors of 1 cm diameter, unlike control mice.
  • The deletion of *Atg7* demonstrably reduced the growth of epithelial skin tumors in both models.

Conclusions:

  • Inhibition of autophagy limits the growth of epithelial skin tumors.
  • Autophagy appears to support, rather than suppress, the progression of epidermal tumors.
  • Targeting autophagy could be a potential therapeutic strategy for skin cancer.
Keywords:
autophagycarcinogenesisepidermal growth factorepidermisepitheliumkeratinocytessquamous cell carcinomatumor

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