Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 17, 2026
07:20
Exploring the Regulation of Lipid Droplet Catabolism through Lipophagy
Published on: January 31, 2025
1.3K
Autophagy in endometriosis.
Hui-Li Yang1,2,3, Jie Mei4, Kai-Kai Chang1
1Insititute of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Fudan UniversityShanghai 200011, People's Republic of China.
American Journal of Translational Research
|December 9, 2017
Summary
Autophagy, a cellular process, is vital in endometriosis (EMS). Aberrant autophagy contributes to EMS by promoting tissue growth and abnormal immune responses, suggesting it as a potential therapeutic target.
Area of Science:
- Gynecology
- Cell Biology
- Pathophysiology
Background:
- Endometriosis (EMS) is a common gynecologic disease causing pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, and infertility.
- While retrograde menstruation and immune defects are known factors, recent research highlights autophagy's role in EMS pathogenesis.
- Autophagy is a cellular degradation pathway crucial for maintaining cellular homeostasis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the role of aberrant autophagy in the pathogenesis of endometriosis.
- To explore the potential of targeting autophagy pathways for novel endometriosis therapies.
Main Methods:
- This review synthesizes current research on autophagy in normal and endometriotic endometrial tissues.
- It examines the molecular mechanisms and factors influencing aberrant autophagy in EMS.
- Analysis includes changes in autophagy levels and the expression of autophagy-related genes (ATGs).
Main Results:
- Aberrant autophagy in eutopic and ectopic endometriotic tissues promotes endometrial hyperplasia and stromal cell proliferation.
- It contributes to EMS by restricting apoptosis and inducing abnormal immune responses.
- Altered expression of autophagy-related genes (ATGs) is observed in endometriosis patients.
Conclusions:
- Aberrant autophagy is a significant factor in the development and progression of endometriosis.
- Targeting autophagy pathways presents a promising avenue for developing new therapeutic strategies for EMS.
- Further research into autophagy modulation could lead to effective treatments for endometriosis.
Related Concept Videos
01:36Delivery Pathways to the Lysosome
10.3K
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...
10.3K
01:27Autophagy
5.9K
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,...
5.9K
02:07Oogenesis
70.3K
In human women, oogenesis produces one mature egg cell or ovum for every precursor cell that enters meiosis. This process differs in two unique ways from the equivalent procedure of spermatogenesis in males. First, meiotic divisions during oogenesis are asymmetric, meaning that a large oocyte (containing most of the cytoplasm) and minor polar body are produced as a result of meiosis I, and again following meiosis II. Since only oocytes will go on to form embryos if fertilized, this unequal...
70.3K
01:18Autophagic Cell Death
4.7K
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...
4.7K
01:28Maturation of Endosomes
6.0K
The early endosome containing internalized molecules matures through transformations in its location, morphology, intraluminal pH, and membrane protein composition. Together, these changes result in a more acidic late endosome that contains multiple intraluminal vesicles; therefore, the late endosome is also called a multivesicular body (MVB).
Changes in location
The maturing endosome moves along microtubules from the periphery of the cell towards the perinuclear region. This movement of the...
Changes in location
The maturing endosome moves along microtubules from the periphery of the cell towards the perinuclear region. This movement of the...
6.0K
00:58Recycling Endosomes and Transcytosis
3.6K
The recycling endosome, also known as the endosomal recycling compartment (ERC), is a part of the slow-recycling process of the endocytic pathway. Molecules internalized through receptor-mediated endocytosis are either degraded in the lysosomes or are recycled to the plasma membrane through the fast- or slow-recycling route.
The recycling endosome is not a single organelle but an extensively tubulated network of recycling pathways. It functions in storing molecules or transporting them across...
The recycling endosome is not a single organelle but an extensively tubulated network of recycling pathways. It functions in storing molecules or transporting them across...
3.6K