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Updated: Oct 4, 2025
Assessing Autophagic Flux by Measuring LC3, p62, and LAMP1 Co-localization Using Multispectral Imaging Flow Cytometry
Published on: July 21, 2017
The different autophagy degradation pathways and neurodegeneration
Angeleen Fleming1, Mathieu Bourdenx2, Motoki Fujimaki3
1Department of Medical Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, The Keith Peters Building, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0XY, UK; UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, The Keith Peters Building, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0XY, UK; Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK.
None:
The term autophagy encompasses different pathways that route cytoplasmic material to lysosomes for degradation and includes macroautophagy, chaperone-mediated autophagy, and microautophagy. Since these pathways are crucial for degradation of aggregate-prone proteins and dysfunctional organelles such as mitochondria, they help to maintain cellular homeostasis. As post-mitotic neurons cannot dilute unwanted protein and organelle accumulation by cell division, the nervous system is particularly dependent on autophagic pathways. This dependence may be a vulnerability as people age and these processes become less effective in the brain. Here, we will review how the different autophagic pathways may protect against neurodegeneration, giving examples of both polygenic and monogenic diseases. We have considered how autophagy may have roles in normal CNS functions and the relationships between these degradative pathways and different types of programmed cell death. Finally, we will provide an overview of recently described strategies for upregulating autophagic pathways for therapeutic purposes.
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