The Question of Survival or Death: What Is the Role of Autophagy in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)?

Atousa Haghi; Mahnaz  Mohammadi Kian; Mahdieh Salemi; Mohammad Reza Eghdami; Mohsen Nikbakht

doi:10.18502/ijhoscr.v16i4.10883

Atousa Haghi Research Institute for Oncology, Hematology and Cell Therapy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mahnaz Mohammadi Kian Cell Therapy and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mahdieh Salemi Research Institute for Oncology, Hematology and Cell Therapy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mohammad Reza Eghdami Department of Social Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
Mohsen Nikbakht Research Institute for Oncology, Hematology and Cell Therapy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijhoscr.v16i4.10883

Keywords: Autophagy; Acute myeloid leukemia (AML); Cell survival; Chemoresistance

Abstract

Autophagy plays a critical role in balancing sources of energy in response to harsh conditions and nutrient deprivation. Autophagy allows cells to survive in harsh condition and also serve as a death mechanism. Any dysregulation in autophagy signaling may lead to several disorders. Autophagy has been proposed to explain chemotherapy resistance in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This signaling pathway can either act as a tumor suppressive function or chemo-resistance mechanism. Conventional chemotherapy drugs enhance apoptosis and indicate clinical benefit, but in some cases, relapse and chemotherapy resistance are observed. In leukemia, autophagy may promote cell survival in response to chemotherapy drugs. Therefore, new strategies by inhibiting or activating autophagy may find a broad application for treating leukemia and may significantly enhance clinical outcomes. In this review, we discussed how dimensional role of autophagy in leukemia.