Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 18, 2026
08:40
In Vitro and In Vivo Detection of Mitophagy in Human Cells, C. Elegans, and Mice
Published on: November 22, 2017
18.6K
Autophagy activation and protection from mitochondrial dysfunction in human chondrocytes
Paloma López de Figueroa1, Martin K Lotz, Francisco J Blanco
1Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de A Coruña, SERGAS, and Universidade da Coruña, A Coruña, Spain.
Arthritis & Rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.)
|January 22, 2015
Summary
Autophagy activation protects human chondrocytes from mitochondrial dysfunction. Enhancing autophagy may offer chondroprotective benefits for osteoarthritis and other cartilage diseases.
Area of Science:
- Cellular Biology
- Mitochondrial Biology
- Autophagy Research
Background:
- Autophagy is crucial for cellular homeostasis, removing damaged components like mitochondria.
- Defective autophagy is implicated in aging and osteoarthritis (OA), contributing to cell death.
- Mitochondrial dysfunction is increasingly recognized as a key factor in OA pathogenesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the protective role of autophagy activation against mitochondrial dysfunction in human chondrocytes.
- To determine if enhancing autophagy can mitigate OA-related cellular damage.
Main Methods:
- Human chondrocytes were treated with oligomycin to induce mitochondrial dysfunction.
- Autophagy activation was assessed using LC3-II marker.
- Autophagy was pharmacologically induced with rapamycin and torin 1, and genetically inhibited using siRNA for ATG5.
Main Results:
- Oligomycin treatment decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, increased reactive oxygen species, and caused cell death.
- Autophagy activation significantly protected chondrocytes against oligomycin-induced mitochondrial dysfunction.
- Genetic inhibition of autophagy exacerbated mitochondrial dysfunction.
Conclusions:
- Autophagy acts as a critical protective mechanism against mitochondrial dysfunction in chondrocytes.
- Pharmacological enhancement of autophagy shows potential as a chondroprotective strategy for degenerative cartilage diseases like OA.
Related Concept Videos
01:18Autophagic Cell Death
5.1K
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...
Autophagy and Apoptosis
Autophagy can activate apoptosis. In normal conditions, the autophagy activating protein Beclin-1 and...
5.1K
01:27Autophagy
6.5K
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,...
An autophagic pathway consists of a series of signaling events activated in response to diverse stress and physiological conditions such as food deprivation,...
6.5K
01:22Cellular Injury V: Apoptosis and Autophagy
7
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...
7
01:37Mitochondria
21.7K
Mitochondria are eukaryotic cellular organelles that are known to produce energy through a process called oxidative phosphorylation. Besides their primary function, mitochondria are involved in various cellular processes, including cell growth, differentiation, signaling, metabolism, and senescence. Age-related changes cause a decline in mitochondrial quality and integrity due to increased mitochondrial mutations and oxidative damage. Thus, aging can severely impact mitochondrial functions,...
21.7K
01:19Translocation of Proteins into the Mitochondria
13.8K
Mitochondrial precursors are translocated to the internal subcompartments via independent mechanisms involving distinct protein machineries called translocases.
Sorting of outer membrane proteins:
Mitochondrial outer membrane proteins are of two types: the transmembrane, beta-barrel porins, and the membrane-anchored, alpha-helical proteins. Beta-barrel porin precursors are translocated by the TOM complex and inserted into the outer mitochondrial membrane by the SAM complex. In contrast,...
Sorting of outer membrane proteins:
Mitochondrial outer membrane proteins are of two types: the transmembrane, beta-barrel porins, and the membrane-anchored, alpha-helical proteins. Beta-barrel porin precursors are translocated by the TOM complex and inserted into the outer mitochondrial membrane by the SAM complex. In contrast,...
13.8K
01:36Delivery Pathways to the Lysosome
10.6K
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...
Endocytosis
In endocytosis, the cell membrane takes up macromolecules and particles from the surrounding medium. Clathrin-mediated...
10.6K