Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 1, 2026

siRNA Electroporation to Modulate Autophagy in Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1-Infected Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells
Published on: October 28, 2019
Regulating Autophagy as a Therapeutic Target for Diabetic Nephropathy
Munehiro Kitada1,2, Yoshio Ogura3, Itaru Monno3
1Department of Diabetology and Endocrinology, Kanazawa Medical University, Uchinada, Ishikawa, Japan. kitta@kanazawa-med.ac.jp.
Purpose Of Review:
Autophagy promotes cellular health in response to various cellular stresses and to changes in nutrient conditions. In this review, we focus on the role of autophagy in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy and discuss the regulation of autophagy as a new therapeutic target for the suppression of diabetic nephropathy.
Recent Findings:
Previous studies have indicated that autophagy deficiency or insufficiency in renal cells, including podocytes, mesangial cells, endothelial cells and tubular cells, contributes to the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy. Alterations in the nutrient-sensing pathways, including mammalian target of rapamycin complex1 (mTORC1), AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) and Sirt1, due to excess nutrition in diabetes are implicated in the impairment of autophagy. Maintaining both basal and adaptive autophagy against cellular stress may protect the kidney from diabetes-induced cellular stresses. Therefore, the activation of autophagy through the modulation of nutrient-sensing pathways may be a new therapeutic option for the suppression of diabetic nephropathy.
Related Concept Videos
Autophagy
An autophagic pathway consists of a series of signaling events activated in response to diverse stress and physiological conditions such as food deprivation,...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mTOR pathway or the...
Diabetes: Management and Pharmacotherapy
Insulin remains the cornerstone of treatment for most patients with type 1 and many...
Delivery Pathways to the Lysosome
Endocytosis
In endocytosis, the cell membrane takes up macromolecules and particles from the surrounding medium. Clathrin-mediated...
Autophagic Cell Death
Autophagy and Apoptosis
Autophagy can activate apoptosis. In normal conditions, the autophagy activating protein Beclin-1 and...
Transducer Mechanism: Enzyme-Linked Receptors
Major types that are helpful drug targets include:

