CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Autophagy. A strategy for cell survival. Autophagy is a process of recycling parts of the cell. Asdescribed in this review, it occurs naturally in order to preserve cells from the accumulation of toxins,damaged molecules and organelles, and to allow processes of tissue development and differentiation. In thecourse of autophagy, the processing of the substrates to be recycled generates ATP, thus providing an alternativesource of energy in stress situations. In this sense, under hostile conditions such as hypoxia or lack of nutrients,the autophagy process can be exacerbated leading to cell death. Some alterations in its functioning may involvethe development of various pathologies, including liver damage, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.