New Understanding of Autophagy Could Lead to Healthy Aging Therapies

A recent breakthrough from an international collaborative research team has unveiled the mechanism by which cells activate their recycling processes and generate “garbage bags” to eliminate proteins.

The findings, published in the journal Science and Co-Led by Professor Michael Lazarou, who is affiliated with both Monash University and Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, provide new insights into cellular waste disposal and may contribute to the development of future treatments for neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

Importance of Cellular Recycling

The process by which cells eliminate waste and recycle valuable materials, known as autophagy, is vital for health.

In conditions such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, the accumulation of cellular waste occurs due to malfunctioning recycling signals, leading to protein aggregation.

The new study, Co-led by Professor Michael Lazarou from Monash BDI and WEHI, along with Professor Gerhard Hummer from the Max Planck Institute and Professor James H. Hurley from the University of California, Berkeley, has clarified one of the fundamental cellular processes that regulate autophagy.

The research team discovered that this process is governed by a complex array of proteins that attach a molecular signal to a cell membrane. This signal is a crucial step in activating the autophagy process, facilitating the creation of cellular “garbage bags” that allow for the recycling of damaged materials within cells.

We know that cellular recycling is absolutely fundamental to our overall health but we have struggled to understand precisely how this complex process is regulated – and how we can fix it when it breaks. In our team’s new study, we discovered surprising ways those cellular ‘garbage bags’ are created and how this group of proteins is regulated. Crucially, we found the switch that kick starts the process.”

Michael Lazarou, Professor, Monash University

Professor Lazarou stated, “Now we know how this recycling process is switched on, we hope that knowledge will in future lead to new treatments that can turn on that process to promote healthy aging and target diseases like Parkinson’s and beyond.”

An International Collaboration

This research is part of an international grant through the Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s collaborative network, which aims to enhance collaboration to better understand the fundamental causes of Parkinson’s disease.

Their goals of scale, transparency, and open access data sharing are intended to accelerate discovery and find a cure for Parkinson’s.

The WEHI Parkinson’s Disease Research Centre is also a participant in ASAP’s Global Parkinson’s Genetic Program, a collaboration focused on deciphering the genetic framework of Parkinson’s disease.