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Updated: Jun 19, 2026

In vitro Quantitative Imaging Assay for Phagocytosis of Dead Neuroblastoma Cells by iPSC-Macrophages
Published on: February 14, 2021
Autophagy for the avoidance of neurodegeneration
Frank Madeo1, Tobias Eisenberg, Guido Kroemer
1Institute of Molecular Biosciences, University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria. frank.madeo@uni-graz.at
Abstract:
Cellular defense mechanisms, including the unfolded protein response (UPR) and autophagy, attempt to resolve toxic protein aggregates, which are common denominators of neurodegenerative diseases. In this issue of Genes & Development, Hetz and colleagues (pp. 2294-2306) surprisingly show that inhibition of the UPR by knockout of XBP-1 causes a massive increase in autophagy, enhances clearance of superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) aggregates, and delays the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. These findings suggest the existence of a homeostatic-if not hormetic-balance between distinct cellular defense mechanisms.
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