The route of autophagy regulation by osteopontin: a review on the linking mechanisms

Abstract

Autophagy is a dynamic intracellular process of protein degradation, which is mostly triggered by nutrient deprivation. This process initiates with the formation of autophagosomes, which they capture cytosolic material that is then degraded upon fusion with the lysosome. Several factors have been found to be associated with autophagy modulation, of which extracellular matrix (ECM) components has attracted the attention of recent studies. Osteopontin (OPN) is an important extracellular matrix component that has been detected in a wide range of tumor cells, and is involved in cancer cell invasion and metastasis. Recently, a number of studies have focused on the relationship of OPN with autophagy, by delineating the intracellular signaling pathways that connect OPN to the autophagy process. We will summarize signaling pathways and cell surface receptors, through which OPN regulates the process of autophagy.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Autophagy
• osteopontin
• signaling pathways
• cancer
• cell death

Acknowledgment

The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other support were received during the preparation of this manuscript.

Ethical approval

This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Approval was granted by the Ethics Committee of Golestan University of Medical Sciences (IR.GOUMS.REC.1399.424).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.