title: Autophagy: Can it become a potential therapeutic target?
abstract: Autophagy is a cellular lysosomal degradation pathway involved in proteins and organelles recycling for promoting cell survival, development and homeostasis. It is a multistep process and genetic studies have identified many proteins that participate in autophagosome formation and fusion with lysosomes, and various signaling factors that associate with the regulation of autophagy. In general, autophagy acts as a cell protector and its dysfunction is correlated with diverse pathologies, such as neurodegeneration, liver, heart and muscle diseases, cancer, inflammation and ageing. However, its role in cell death increases the complexity of the autophagic degradation system. A broad understanding of autophagy, ranging from detailed processes, including induction, formation and degradation, to function in physiology and pathology, revealed by accumulating studies, may be helpful for formulating therapeutic strategies for autophagy-associated human diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Transplant, and Surgical Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Xiao Hong
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Naomoto
authors.forename: Hui Fang
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Hao
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Kazufumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sakurama
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Noma
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Motoki
authors.forename: Yasuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tomono
authors.forename: Takuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukazawa
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shirakawa
authors.forename: Tomoki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamatsuji
authors.forename: Junji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Matsuoka
authors.forename: Munenori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takaoka
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001343:Autophagy; D004194:Disease; D006801:Humans; D013812:Therapeutics / Q000379:methods*