title: Mitophagy in neurodegeneration and aging.
abstract: Mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to normal aging and a wide spectrum of age-related diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. It is important to maintain a healthy mitochondrial population which is tightly regulated by proteolysis and mitophagy. Mitophagy is a specialized form of autophagy that regulates the turnover of damaged and dysfunctional mitochondria, organelles that function in producing energy for the cell in the form of ATP and regulating energy homeostasis. Mechanistic studies on mitophagy across species highlight a sophisticated and integrated cellular network that regulates the degradation of mitochondria. Strategies directed at maintaining a healthy mitophagy level in aged individuals might have beneficial effects. In this review, we provide an updated mechanistic overview of mitophagy pathways and discuss the role of reduced mitophagy in neurodegeneration. We also highlight potential translational applications of mitophagy-inducing compounds, such as NAD+precursors and urolithins.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Gerontology, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.
authors.forename: Elayne M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Fivenson
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Gerontology, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA; Danish Aging Research Center, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, University of Aarhus, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
authors.forename: Sofie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lautrup
authors.affiliation: Center for Molecular Medicine, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Nuo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Center for Healthy Aging, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark.
authors.forename: Morten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scheibye-Knudsen
authors.affiliation: Danish Aging Research Center, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, University of Aarhus, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
authors.forename: Tinna
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stevnsner
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Molecular Biology, University of Oslo and Akershus University Hospital, 1478 Lørenskog, Norway.
authors.forename: Hilde
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nilsen
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Gerontology, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA; Center for Healthy Aging, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark. Electronic address: BohrV@grc.nia.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Vilhelm A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Bohr
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Gerontology, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA. Electronic address: evandro.fang@nih.gov.
authors.forename: Evandro F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Fang
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D001343:Autophagy / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D063306:Mitophagy / Q000502:physiology*; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology