Autophagy News and Research

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Autophagy is a normal process in which a cell destroys proteins and other substances in its cytoplasm (the fluid inside the cell membrane but outside the nucleus), which may lead to cell death. Autophagy may prevent normal cells from developing into cancer cells, but it may also protect cancer cells by destroying anticancer drugs or substances taken up by them.

$1.1 Million Grant to Fund Research on Molecular Response of Plants to Environmental Stress

The National Science Foundation has awarded a $1.1 million grant to Purdue University’s Gyeong Mee Yoon to research how plants acclimate to environmental stress. Her findings could have implications for food security in an era of climate change.

9 Oct 2023

Fruit Fly Study Reveals New Insights into Exercise and Cold Tolerance

As the northern hemisphere experiences shorter and colder days, individuals who prefer morning workouts may encounter increased difficulty in getting up and running.

19 Sep 2023

Researchers Elucidate STING Protein's New Role in Immune Defense

A signaling protein known as STING is a critical player in the human immune system, detecting signs of danger within cells and then activating a variety of defense mechanisms.

7 Aug 2023

Exploring the Regulatory Mechanism and Physiological Significance of P62 Phosphorylation

Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) is a master transcription factor with a role in maintaining oxidative stress response. It can be triggered by both redox-dependent and redox-independent pathways.

13 Jun 2023

How the Disturbed Recycling Chain of Endoplasmic Reticulum Causes Neurodegenerative Diseases

Our cells are crisscrossed by a system of membrane tubes and pockets called the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). It is crucial for the production of biomolecules and is continuously built up and degraded.

29 May 2023

New Insight Into Cellular Waste Disposal Process

To prevent our body's cells from overflowing with garbage and to keep them healthy, the waste inside them is constantly being disposed of.

25 May 2023

Proteomics Approach Identifies p62-Mediated Selective Autophagy of the Supramolecular Vault Complex

Our body functioning is delicately balanced between the synthesis and breakdown of various cellular components.

16 May 2023

Researchers Elucidate the Molecular Mechanism of Protein Degradation by Extracellular Chaperones

When exposed to stressful conditions, several proteins tend to misfold and form aggregates inside or outside cells.

12 May 2023

The Communication Between Brain and Liver After Fasting

The human body’s autophagy is triggered by fasting. The body activates the cells’ waste-removal mechanism and produces new energy. The brain plays a crucial part in this process, as researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research in Cologne recently found in mice.

19 Apr 2023

Cellular Recycling Function in the Brain Slows Dramatically After Traumatic Brain Injury

Each year about 1.5 million people in the U.S. survive a traumatic brain injury due to a fall, car accident, or a sports injury, which can cause immediate and long-term disability.

5 Apr 2023

FDA-approved compound promotes photoreceptor survival in lab models of inherited retinal ciliopathy

A National Eye Institute-led team has identified a compound already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that keeps light-sensitive photoreceptors alive in three models of Leber congenital amaurosis type 10 (LCA 10), an inherited retinal ciliopathy disease that often results in severe visual impairment or blindness in early childhood.

30 Mar 2023

Potential therapeutic target in KRAS-mutant pancreatic cancer identified

A new research paper was published in Genes & Cancer on March 10, 2023, entitled, "VCP/p97, a pleiotropic protein regulator of the DNA damage response and proteostasis, is a potential therapeutic target in KRAS-mutant pancreatic cancer."

27 Mar 2023

Immune system’s aptitude in reducing reliance on antibiotics for treating infections

The removal of obsolete and damaged cell components by the body is crucial for fighting diseases like tuberculosis (TB), which establish themselves inside human cells, according to researchers from the Francis Crick Institute.

27 Mar 2023

Identifying the molecular switch that regulates autophagy in plants

Autophagy, commonly known as “self-eating,” is a cellular quality control mechanism that relieves the cell of protein aggregates and damaged organelles. This system is inert under ordinary conditions and is only activated in the presence of persistent cellular stress.

13 Feb 2023

Rare disease involving speech and motor coordination difficulties identified

Scientists from the National Institutes of Health recently identified a new neurological condition characterized by issues with motor coordination and speech. Their observations were published in the journal npj Genomic Medicine.

From National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) 13 Feb 2023

Telomeres, mitochondria, and inflammation: Working in synergy to fight cancer

The telomeres, or ends of the chromosomes, increasingly shorten as people age. Recently, Salk researchers found that when telomeres are very short, they can still interact with the mitochondria, the cell’s powerhouses.

9 Feb 2023

Figuring out how cells safeguard their genomes during replication

Cells zealously protect the integrity of their genomes, because damage can lead to cancer or cell death. The genome, a cell’s complete set of DNA, is most vulnerable while it is being duplicated before a cell divides.

26 Jan 2023

Waste disposal mechanism of mitochondria to remove mtDNA mutations

University of Cologne researchers have uncovered the mechanism by which cells can get rid of mutated mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)—the heart of each of our cells, the mitochondria.

17 Nov 2022

Conserved vacuolar sorting hub regulates autophagic flux in plants

A “hub and spoke” system allows plant cells to effectively coordinate cellular trafficking, especially for cellular recycling, also known as autophagy. Autophagosomes are specialized vesicles that capture hazardous molecules and transport them to the vacuole, where they are destroyed.

21 Oct 2022

New role for huntingtin protein—neuronal regeneration

A recent study led by the University at Buffalo proposes a novel role for the huntingtin protein (HTT), which leads to Huntington’s disease when mutated.

28 Sep 2022