title: Cell death pathology: cross-talk with autophagy and its clinical implications.
abstract: Autophagy is a self-digesting mechanism that cells adopt to respond to stressful stimuli. Morphologically, cells dying by autophagy show multiple cytoplasmic double-membraned vacuoles, and, if prolonged, autophagy can lead to cell death, "autophagic cell death". Thus, autophagy can act both as a temporary protective mechanism during a brief stressful episode and be a mode of cell death in its own right. In this mini-review we focus on recent knowledge concerning the connection between autophagy and programmed cell death, evaluating their possible implications for therapy in pathologies like cancer and neurodegeneration.
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council, Toxicology Unit, Leicester University, Leicester LE1 9HN, UK.
authors.forename: Ivano
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Amelio
authors.forename: Gerry
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Melino
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Knight
mesh_terms: D001343:Autophagy / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D016923:Cell Death; D002470:Cell Survival; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000473:pathology*