[The roles of autophagy in cell survival and cell death]

Autophagy is a process in which the subcellular membrane structures undergo dynamic morphological changes that lead to degradation of cellular proteins and organelles by lysosomes. Autophagy stabilizes intracellular environment and maintains cell survival through balancing anabolic metabolism and catabolism. However, overactive autophagy may induce the type II programmed cell death. There is a close relationship between autophagy and apoptosis during cell death. This review focuses on the processes of autophagy and its roles in cell survival and cell death.