Autophagy and pancreatic β-cells

Autophagy plays a key role in maintaining pancreatic β-cell homeostasis. Deregulation of this process is associated with loss of β-cell mass and function, and it is likely to be involved in type 2 diabetes development and progression. Evidence that modulation of autophagy may be beneficial to preserve β-cell mass and function is beginning to accumulate although the complexity of this process, the intricate link between autophagy and apoptosis, and the fine balance between the protective and the disruptive role of autophagy make it very difficult to develop interventional strategies. This chapter provides an overview of the role of constitutive and adaptive autophagy in pancreatic β-cell and in the context of type 2 diabetes.