Fig. 2

Targeting ATG7 decrease tumor growth and enhance the infiltration of CD8⁺ T cells. (A) Experimental schedule of shNC, ATG7-targeted (shATG7) or treated with the vehicle or ATG7 inhibitor (ATG7-IN-1) of MC38 colorectal cancer. (B) Image of isolated tumors derived from immunocompetent C57BL/6 mice (n = 5). (C-D) Tumor growth curves and tumor weight in immunocompetent C57BL/6 mice. (E) The number of tumor-infiltrating immune cells labeled on the surface of control (shNC) or ATG7-targeted (shATG7) MC38 colorectal tumors or MC38 colorectal tumors treated with control vehicle (vehicle) or ATG7 inhibitor (ATG7-IN-1) by using flow cytometry. Quantification of GZMB⁺CD8⁺ (F) and IFN-γ⁺CD8⁺ (G) cells in MC38 xenografts. (H-I) The TNF-α and IFN-γ level in serum of MC38 xenografts were determined by ELISA analysis. (J) Representative images of immunohistochemical staining for ATG7 and CD8 protein expression patterns in MC38 tumors. (400×magnification). Data are presented as the mean ± SD. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001