Autophagy. In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd: Chichester. DOI:

SIMON, HANS-UWE; FRIIS, ROBERT; COLOMBO, MARÍA I.

Encyclopedia of Life Sciences

John Wiley & Sons

Lugar: Chichester; Año: 2017; p. 1 - 10

Autophagy comprises several evolutionarily conserved mechanisms for uptake and transport of proteins and even cytoplasmic organelles to the lysosome for degradation. Although the importance of autophagy for cell homeostasis and survival has long been appreciated, our understanding of how autophagy is carried out at the molecular level has recently benefited from genetic studies that have revealed the functions of many of the participating proteins. The importance of autophagy for maintaining quality control on proteins and organelles is underscored by the fact that many diseases exhibit dysfunctional autophagic activities, for example neurodegenerative diseases. When cells undergoing stress leading to deoxyribonucleic acid damage, mitochondrial damage, and/or accumulation of damaged proteins are unable to induce a sufficient autophagic response, genetic instability ensues and such cells are prone to accumulate oncogenic mutations. Thus, autophagy is required for multiple roles in the prevention of human disease.