| Autophagy is a fundamental homeostatic process crucial for cellular adaptation in
response to metabolic stress. Autophagy exerts its effect through degrading
intracellular components and recycling them to produce macromolecular precursors
and energy. This physiological process contributes to cellular development,
maintenance of cellular/tissue homeostasis, immune system regulation, and human
disease. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the only
preferred therapy for most bone marrow-derived cancers. Unfortunately, HSCT can
result in several serious and sometimes untreatable conditions due to graft-versus-host
disease (GVHD), graft failure, and infection. These are the major cause of morbidity and
mortality in patients receiving the transplant. During the last decade, autophagy has gained
a considerable understanding of its role in various diseases and cellular processes. In light
of recent research, it has been confirmed that autophagy plays a crucial role in the survival
and function of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), T-cell differentiation, antigen
presentation, and responsiveness to cytokine stimulation. Despite the importance of
these events to HSCT, the role of autophagy in HSCT as a whole remains relatively
ambiguous. As a result of the growing use of autophagy-modulating agents in the clinic, it
is imperative to understand how autophagy functions in allogeneic HSCT. The purpose of
this literature review is to elucidate the established and implicated roles of autophagy in
HSCT, identifying this pathway as a potential therapeutic target for improving transplant
outcomes |