title: Autophagy-from molecular mechanisms to clinical relevance.
abstract: Autophagy is a lysosomal degradation pathway of eukaryotic cells that is highly conserved from yeast to mammals. During this process, cooperating protein complexes are recruited in a hierarchic order to the phagophore assembly site (PAS) to mediate the elongation and closure of double-membrane vesicles called autophagosomes, which sequester cytosolic components and deliver their content to the endolysosomal system for degradation. As a major cytoprotective mechanism, autophagy plays a key role in the stress response against nutrient starvation, hypoxia, and infections. Although numerous studies reported that impaired function of core autophagy proteins also contributes to the development and progression of various human diseases such as neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular and muscle diseases, infections, and different types of cancer, the function of this process in human diseases remains unclear. Evidence often suggests a controversial role for autophagy in the pathomechanisms of these severe disorders. Here, we provide an overview of the molecular mechanisms of autophagy and summarize the recent advances on its function in human health and disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Cell and Developmental Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter stny. 1/C, Budapest, 1117, Hungary.
authors.forename: Mónika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lippai
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Cell and Developmental Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter stny. 1/C, Budapest, 1117, Hungary. zsuzs.szatmari@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Zsuzsanna
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Szatmári
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000071182:Autophagosomes / Q000378:metabolism; D001343:Autophagy / Q000235:genetics*; D004194:Disease; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D057170:Translational Research, Biomedical
keywords: Autophagy; Cancer; Cardiovascular disease; Infection; Neurodegenerative disease