Autophagy regulates tumor growth and metastasis.

The role of autophagy in tumorigenesis and tumor metastasis remains poorly understood. Here we show that inhibition of autophagy stabilizes the transcription factor Twist1 through Sequestosome-1 (SQSTM1, also known as p62) and thus increases cell proliferation, migration, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in tumor development and metastasis. Inhibition of autophagy or p62 overexpression blocks Twist1 protein degradation in the proteasomes, while p62 inhibition enhances it.

Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy Following Traumatic Hand Amputation: A Case Report.

Introduction: Takotsubo or stress cardiomyopathy is a syndrome of transient left ventricular systolic dysfunction seen in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease.

Case Report: We describe a case of stress cardiomyopathy diagnosed in the emergency department (ED) using point-of-care ultrasound associated with traumatic hand amputation. The patient suffered a near-complete amputation of the right hand while using a circular saw, subsequently complicated by brief cardiac arrest with rapid return of spontaneous circulation.

Mitochondrial-derived vesicles compensate for loss of LC3-mediated mitophagy.

Mitochondria are critical metabolic and signaling hubs, and dysregulated mitochondrial homeostasis is implicated in many diseases. Degradation of damaged mitochondria by selective GABARAP/LC3-dependent macro-autophagy (mitophagy) is critical for maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis. To identify alternate forms of mitochondrial quality control that functionally compensate if mitophagy is inactive, we selected for autophagy-dependent cancer cells that survived loss of LC3-dependent autophagosome formation caused by inactivation of ATG7 or RB1CC1/FIP200.

Autophagy and organelle homeostasis in cancer.

Beginning with the earliest studies of autophagy in cancer, there have been indications that autophagy can both promote and inhibit cancer growth and progression; autophagy regulation of organelle homeostasis is similarly complicated. In this review we discuss pro- and antitumor effects of organelle-targeted autophagy and how this contributes to several hallmarks of cancer, such as evading cell death, genomic instability, and altered metabolism. Typically, the removal of damaged or dysfunctional organelles prevents tumor development but can also aid in proliferation or drug resistance in established tumors.