Autophagy in apicomplexan parasites
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Updated: Feb 19, 2026

In Vitro and In Vivo Detection of Mitophagy in Human Cells, C. Elegans, and Mice
Published on: November 22, 2017
1DIMNP, UMR5235, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, Place Eugène Bataillon, CC107, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
Abstract:
Autophagy is a highly conserved eukaryotic degradation process that permits the recycling of intracellular components. The molecular machinery and the functions of autophagy have been classically characterized in mammalian cells and yeast, but have long remained unexplored in less-studied eukaryotes. Apicomplexan parasites are early-diverging eukaryotes responsible for a number of important human and veterinary diseases. In light of recent investigations into autophagy function in two of these pathogens, Plasmodium and Toxoplasma, it seems their autophagy-related machinery could be involved in both a canonical degradative function, and a non-canonical role related to the apicoplast, a metabolically important organelle of endosymbiotic origin.
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