title: Autophagy: dual roles in life and death?
abstract: Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved mechanism for the degradation of cellular components in the cytoplasm, and serves as a cell survival mechanism in starving cells. Recent studies indicate that autophagy also functions in cell death, but the precise role of this catabolic process in dying cells is not clear. Here I discuss the possible roles for autophagy in dying cells and how understanding the relationship between autophagy, cell survival and cell death is important for health and development.
authors.affiliation: Eric H. Baehrecke is at the Center for Biosystems Research, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA. baehreck@umbi.umd.edu.
authors.forename: Eric H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Baehrecke
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001343:Autophagy / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D016923:Cell Death; D002470:Cell Survival; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D020169:Caspases