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Autophagy in major human diseases

Daniel J Klionsky1, Giulia Petroni2, Ravi K Amaravadi3,4

  • 1Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.

The EMBO Journal
|August 30, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Autophagy is vital for cell health. Disrupting this process, through genetics or drugs, can worsen many diseases, including cancer and neurodegenerative conditions.

Area of Science:

  • Cellular Biology
  • Molecular Medicine

Background:

  • Autophagy is a fundamental cellular process crucial for maintaining homeostasis.
  • Impaired autophagy is linked to disease development in various experimental models.
  • Genetic defects in autophagy-related pathways cause severe human diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review and discuss preclinical evidence connecting autophagy dysfunction to the pathogenesis of major human disorders.
  • To highlight the broad impact of autophagy in health and disease.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of preclinical data.
  • Synthesis of research linking autophagy to various disease categories.

Main Results:

  • Autophagy dysfunction is implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous disorders.
  • Specific examples include cancer, cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, metabolic, pulmonary, renal, infectious, musculoskeletal, and ocular diseases.

Conclusions:

  • Autophagy plays a critical role in preventing and mitigating a wide spectrum of human diseases.
  • Understanding autophagy dysfunction is key for developing therapeutic strategies for complex disorders.
Keywords:
agingcancerinflammationmetabolic syndromesneurodegeneration

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