Fig. 1

Autophagy and metastasis processes in details

(A) Autophagy: In a molecular context, autophagy begins with the formation of the ULK1/2 and Atg13/101 complex, followed by the engagement of Beclin1 and Atg14. The elongation step is completed with the recruitment of other Atgs and LC1/II. In the fusion step, the lysosome is added to the preexisting autophagosome, which results in the degradation of autophagosome content. (B) Metastasis: Epithelial tissue contains individual epithelial cells stratified into a layer or plate. These layers can be categorized according to polarity and adheren properties. Epithelial cells have an apical-basal polarity. It means the apical and basal membranes have different complexes, thus possessing different properties. The invasion of cancer cells from the primary site is called intrainvasion. Afterward, cancer cells should survive in blood circulation and locate the most suitable organ, a secondary site. The cells then invade this organ and proliferate there, as they did at the primary site. This process is referred to as extravasation