Targets for antiageing drugs

Important role of autophagy in regulation of metabolic processes in health, disease and aging

Autophagy is the basic catabolic mechanism that involves degradation of dysfunctional cellular components through the action of lysosome as well as supplying energy and compounds for the synthesis of essential biomacromolecules. This process enables cells to survive stress from the external environment like nutrient deprivation. Autophagy is important in the breakdown of proteins, carbohydrates and lipids as well. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that autophagy is critical in wide range of normal human physiological processes, and defective autophagy is associated with diverse diseases, including lysosomal storage disease, myopathies, neurodegeneration and various metabolic disorders. This review summarizes the most up-to-date findings on what role autophagy plays in metabolism.

Eaten alive: a history of macroautophagy

Macroautophagy (hereafter autophagy), or 'self-eating', is a conserved cellular pathway that controls protein and organelle degradation, and has essential roles in survival, development and homeostasis. Autophagy is also integral to human health and is involved in physiology, development, lifespan and a wide range of diseases, including cancer, neurodegeneration and microbial infection. Although research on this topic began in the late 1950s, substantial progress in the molecular study of autophagy has taken place during only the past 15 years. This review traces the key findings that led to our current molecular understanding of this complex process.

Autophagy fights disease through cellular self-digestion

Autophagy, or cellular self-digestion, is a cellular pathway involved in protein and organelle degradation, with an astonishing number of connections to human disease and physiology. For example, autophagic dysfunction is associated with cancer, neurodegeneration, microbial infection and ageing. Paradoxically, although autophagy is primarily a protective process for the cell, it can also play a role in cell death. Understanding autophagy may ultimately allow scientists and clinicians to harness this process for the purpose of improving human health.

Autophagy in the pathogenesis of disease

Autophagy is a lysosomal degradation pathway that is essential for survival, differentiation, development, and homeostasis. Autophagy principally serves an adaptive role to protect organisms against diverse pathologies, including infections, cancer, neurodegeneration, aging, and heart disease. However, in certain experimental disease settings, the self-cannibalistic or, paradoxically, even the prosurvival functions of autophagy may be deleterious. This Review summarizes recent advances in understanding the physiological functions of autophagy and its possible roles in the causation and prevention of human diseases.