Autophagy takes flight in Drosophila.
Drosophila has been shown to be a powerful model to study autophagy, whose regulation involves a core machinery consisting of Atg proteins and upstream signaling regulators similar to those in yeast and mammals. The conserved role in degrading proteins and organelles gives autophagy an important function in coordinating several cellular processes as well as in a number of pathological conditions. This review summarizes key studies in Drosophila autophagy research and discusses potential questions that may lead to better understanding of the roles and regulation of autophagy in higher eukaryotes.
Chang
Yu-Yun
YY
University of Minnesota, Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. chang220@umn.edu
Neufeld
Thomas P
TP
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001343:Autophagy; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000166:cytology* / Q000201:enzymology; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000473:pathology; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D011494:Protein Kinases; C416303:target of rapamycin protein, Drosophila; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases