Lysosomes are acidic organelles that contain hydrolytic enzymes that mediate the intracellular degradation of macromolecules. Damage of these organelles often results in lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP) and the release into the cytoplasm of the soluble lysosomal contents, which include proteolytic enzymes of the cathepsin family. This, in turn, activates several intracellular cascades that promote a type of regulated cell death, called lysosome-dependent cell death (LDCD). LDCD can be inhibited by pharmacological or genetic blockade of cathepsin activity, or by protecting the lysosomal membrane, thereby stabilizing the organelle. Lysosomal alterations are common in cancer cells and may increase the sensitivity of these cells to agents that promote LMP. In this review, we summarize recent findings supporting the use of LDCD as a means of killing cancer cells.
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April 2018
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A 3D rendering of a Ubiquitin protein molecule. In this issue of Biochemical Society Transactions, Ovaa and Vertegaal discuss the role of ubiquitination and SUMO proteins in conjugation and deconjugation machineries; for details, see pages 423–436.
Review Article|
February 22 2018
Lysosomal membrane permeabilization as a cell death mechanism in cancer cells
Ana Serrano-Puebla;
Ana Serrano-Puebla
1Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
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Patricia Boya
1Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
Correspondence: Patricia Boya (patricia.boya@csic.es)
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
November 12 2017
Revision Received:
January 12 2018
Accepted:
January 15 2018
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
© 2018 The Author(s). Published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society
2018
Biochem Soc Trans (2018) 46 (2): 207–215.
Article history
Received:
November 12 2017
Revision Received:
January 12 2018
Accepted:
January 15 2018
Citation
Ana Serrano-Puebla, Patricia Boya; Lysosomal membrane permeabilization as a cell death mechanism in cancer cells. Biochem Soc Trans 17 April 2018; 46 (2): 207–215. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST20170130
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