title: Autophagy in the pathogenesis of disease.
abstract: Autophagy is a lysosomal degradation pathway that is essential for survival, differentiation, development, and homeostasis. Autophagy principally serves an adaptive role to protect organisms against diverse pathologies, including infections, cancer, neurodegeneration, aging, and heart disease. However, in certain experimental disease settings, the self-cannibalistic or, paradoxically, even the prosurvival functions of autophagy may be deleterious. This Review summarizes recent advances in understanding the physiological functions of autophagy and its possible roles in the causation and prevention of human diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390, USA. beth.levine@utsouthwestern.edu
authors.forename: Beth
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Levine
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kroemer
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001343:Autophagy / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D016923:Cell Death / Q000502:physiology; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000502:physiology; D004194:Disease / Q000209:etiology; D042822:Genomic Instability / Q000502:physiology; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008247:Lysosomes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology