Autophagy ("self-eating") is a normal cellular process involved in the degradation and recycling of cellular components. It plays complex roles in cancer development and progression which are highly context-dependent and can vary depending on the stage of tumour development and the specific characteristics of the tumour cells. A key aspect of autophagy is the formation of autophagosomes, double-membraned vesicles that engulf cellular components targeted for degradation. They serve as the vehicles for delivering cellular cargo to the lysosomes for degradation. A variety of players are involved in autophagosome formation and fusion with lysosomes. They include: 1) LC3 (Microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain) which plays a central role in autophagosome formation. It undergoes lipidation by conjugation with phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) to form LC3-II, which is then recruited to the autophagosomal membrane. LC3-II serves as a marker for autophagosomes and is involved in cargo sequestration and autophagosome-lysosome fusion; 2) Beclin 1, a key regulator of autophagy initiation. It forms a complex with several other proteins, including the class III phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) complex generating phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PI3P) to promote autophagosome nucleation; 3) ATG Proteins: Autophagy-related (ATG) proteins are a group of proteins that are essential for the various stages of autophagy. These include ATG5, ATG7, ATG12, and ATG16L1, which are involved in the elongation and closure of the autophagosomal membrane, and ATG8 family proteins (including LC3), which participate in cargo recognition and autophagosome maturation. In normal cells, autophagy likely acts as a tumour suppressor mechanism by maintaining cellular homeostasis, removing damaged organelles and proteins and preventing the accumulation of toxic substances. Autophagy thus helps to prevent the initiation of cancer by eliminating potentially harmful cellular components and genotoxic substances, thereby reducing genomic instability. Autophagy also helps in clearing intracellular pathogens and damaged cellular components, reducing chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation is often associated with an increased risk of cancer development, and autophagy's role in inflammation suppression contributes to its tumour-suppressive function. Once a tumour has formed however, autophagy can act in the opposite manner promoting cancer cell survival under stressful conditions, such as nutrient deprivation, hypoxia, or exposure to chemotherapy or radiation. Autophagy allows cancer cells to recycle intracellular components, providing energy and building blocks for continued growth and survival. Autophagy is here involved in maintaining cancer cells energy balance during periods of nutrient deprivation or stress. By recycling cellular components, autophagy provides energy substrates for tumour cells under nutrient-deprived conditions, promoting cell survival and resistance to therapy. Autophagy can also contribute to resistance to cancer therapies, including chemotherapy and targeted therapies. Cancer cells may upregulate autophagy in response to treatment, allowing them to survive and develop resistance mechanisms. Inhibiting autophagy in combination with cancer treatment has been explored as a potential strategy to overcome therapy resistance.Finally, autophagy can also influence the immune response against cancer. It plays a role in antigen presentation, where intracellular components are processed and presented to immune cells, thereby affecting the recognition and elimination of cancer cells by the immune system. Additionally, autophagy in immune cells can impact their effector functions and regulate anti-tumour immune responses. We provide a comprehensive product catalogue of research reagents for investigating autophagy, including LAMP1 antibodies, Sumo 1 antibodies, LAMP2 antibodies, Beclin 1 antibodies, and Apg12 antibodies. Explore our full autophagy product range below and discover more, for less. Alternatively, you can explore our Signal Transduction, APG Gene Products, and Autophagosome product ranges.