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Related Concept Videos

Autophagic Cell Death01:18

Autophagic Cell Death

Christian de Duve discovered “autophagy,” a process in which cellular components are engulfed by membrane-bound organelles called autophagosomes. The autophagosomes then fuse with lysosomes to digest the enclosed contents. Autophagy is generally activated in cells to prevent cell death. However, cell death is triggered when the damage is beyond repair.
Autophagy and Apoptosis
Autophagy can activate apoptosis. In normal conditions, the autophagy activating protein Beclin-1 and pro-apoptotic...
Cellular Injury V: Apoptosis and Autophagy01:22

Cellular Injury V: Apoptosis and Autophagy

Cells respond to damage and stress through highly coordinated processes that decide whether they survive or undergo controlled self-destruction. Two major pathways involved in this regulation are apoptosis, a type of programmed cell death, and autophagy, a survival mechanism that helps cells adapt to adverse conditions.ApoptosisApoptosis removes aged or injured cells to maintain tissue balance. During this process, the cell shrinks, chromatin condenses and fragments, and membrane-bound...
Overview of Cell Death01:30

Overview of Cell Death

Cell death is an essential process where the body gets rid of old or damaged cells. Cell proliferation and death need to be balanced, as an imbalance between the two may lead to cancer or autoimmune diseases.
Cell death was observed in the early 19th century, but there was no experimental evidence to prove it. In 1842, Carl Vogt first discovered cell death in a metamorphic toad; however, it was not termed ‘cell death.’ Scientists discovered different cell death pathways only in the 20th century...
Autophagy01:27

Autophagy

Autophagy is a self-digesting process by which a cell protects itself from threats both within and outside the cell, ranging from abnormal proteins to invading bacteria. In this process, obsolete components of the cell and invading microbes are degraded by hydrolytic enzymes active in an acidic environment of the lysosomal lumen.
An autophagic pathway consists of a series of signaling events activated in response to diverse stress and physiological conditions such as food deprivation,...
Delivery Pathways to the Lysosome01:36

Delivery Pathways to the Lysosome

Eukaryotic cells use different mechanisms to eliminate toxic waste obsolete and worn-out substances. Lysosomes play a pivotal role in this, and hence, these substances are carried to the lysosome from other parts of the cell and extracellular space through different pathways. The most elaborately studied pathways to the lysosome are the endocytic pathways.
Endocytosis
In endocytosis, the cell membrane takes up macromolecules and particles from the surrounding medium. Clathrin-mediated...
Phagocytosis of Apoptotic Cells01:17

Phagocytosis of Apoptotic Cells

Cells undergoing apoptosis form apoptotic bodies that must be removed immediately to prevent inflammation, autoimmune diseases, and necrosis. Phagocytosis is carried out by professional phagocytes such as macrophages or  immature dendritic cells. Non-professional phagocytes such as  epithelial cells and fibroblasts also take part in this process; however, they are not as effective as professional phagocytes. 
Normal cells contain receptors that prevent them from being recognized by phagocytes.

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Retraction Notice to "Genes Involved in Apoptosis Regulation: Implications for Cancer Therapy".

Current genomics·2025
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Correction to: NF-κB contributes to Smac mimetic-conferred protection from tunicamycin-induced apoptosis.

Apoptosis : an international journal on programmed cell death·2025
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Correction: Editorial Expression of Concern: Sensitization for death receptor- or drug-induced apoptosis by re-expression of caspase-8 through demethylation or gene transfer.

Oncogene·2024
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Editorial Expression of Concern: Sensitization for death receptor- or drug-induced apoptosis by re-expression of caspase-8 through demethylation or gene transfer.

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Mathematical modeling of the molecular switch of TNFR1-mediated signaling pathways applying Petri net formalism and in silico knockout analysis.

PLoS computational biology·2022
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The long non-coding RNA HOTAIRM1 promotes tumor aggressiveness and radiotherapy resistance in glioblastoma.

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Tegument protein UL16 of herpes simplex virus 1 suppresses the innate immune response by downregulating MAVS abundance via mitophagy.

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Mechanistic studies of autophagic cargo recruitment and membrane shaping through in vitro reconstitution.

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Receptor-cargo coupling during ER-autophagy depends on coat proteins and ER membrane properties.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 22, 2026

LPS and ATP-induced Death of PMA-differentiated THP-1 Macrophages and its Validation
06:12

LPS and ATP-induced Death of PMA-differentiated THP-1 Macrophages and its Validation

Published on: May 3, 2024

Autophagy and cell death.

Simone Fulda1

  • 1Institute for Experimental Cancer Research in Pediatrics, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany. simone.fulda@kgu.de

Autophagy
|May 12, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Autophagy, a cellular process, has a dual role in cancer, sometimes suppressing tumors and other times promoting their growth. Its role in cell death during cancer treatment remains a controversial topic, debated as either a cause or a survival mechanism.

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Use of LysoTracker to Detect Programmed Cell Death in Embryos and Differentiating Embryonic Stem Cells
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Use of LysoTracker to Detect Programmed Cell Death in Embryos and Differentiating Embryonic Stem Cells

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Identification of Intracellular Signaling Events Induced in Viable Cells by Interaction with Neighboring Cells Undergoing Apoptotic Cell Death
09:18

Identification of Intracellular Signaling Events Induced in Viable Cells by Interaction with Neighboring Cells Undergoing Apoptotic Cell Death

Published on: December 27, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 22, 2026

LPS and ATP-induced Death of PMA-differentiated THP-1 Macrophages and its Validation
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LPS and ATP-induced Death of PMA-differentiated THP-1 Macrophages and its Validation

Published on: May 3, 2024

Use of LysoTracker to Detect Programmed Cell Death in Embryos and Differentiating Embryonic Stem Cells
12:44

Use of LysoTracker to Detect Programmed Cell Death in Embryos and Differentiating Embryonic Stem Cells

Published on: October 11, 2012

Identification of Intracellular Signaling Events Induced in Viable Cells by Interaction with Neighboring Cells Undergoing Apoptotic Cell Death
09:18

Identification of Intracellular Signaling Events Induced in Viable Cells by Interaction with Neighboring Cells Undergoing Apoptotic Cell Death

Published on: December 27, 2016

Area of Science:

  • Cellular biology
  • Cancer research
  • Molecular mechanisms

Background:

  • Autophagy plays a complex role in cancer, acting as both a tumor suppressor and promoter.
  • Anticancer therapies often interact with autophagy as a cellular response mechanism.
  • The precise role of autophagy in cancer cell death is highly debated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the dual functions of autophagy in cancer.
  • To investigate the controversial role of autophagy in cancer cell death.
  • To clarify whether autophagy causes or prevents death in stressed cancer cells.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of autophagy's role in cancer.
  • Analysis of studies on autophagy in anticancer therapy.
  • Discussion of conflicting research on autophagy and cell death.

Main Results:

  • Autophagy can prevent tumor formation by clearing damaged cellular components.
  • Autophagy can also support tumor growth and survival under stress.
  • Existing research presents conflicting evidence regarding autophagy's direct role in cancer cell death.

Conclusions:

  • Autophagy's function in cancer is context-dependent, acting as both a tumor suppressor and promoter.
  • The role of autophagy in cancer cell death remains controversial, with ongoing debate about its contribution to demise versus survival.
  • Further research is needed to fully elucidate autophagy's complex involvement in cancer progression and therapeutic responses.