Autophagy is a normal process in which a cell destroys proteins and other substances in its cytoplasm (the fluid inside the cell membrane but outside the nucleus), which may lead to cell death. Autophagy may prevent normal cells from developing into cancer cells, but it may also protect cancer cells by destroying anticancer drugs or substances taken up by them.
The in-built mechanism of recycling dead or poisonous material to preserve the health of human cells is critical to general health.
In the fruit fly Drosophila, a team led by Maria Leptin discovered that autophagy, a stress response process in cells, plays a significant role in wound repair.
Parkinson's disease may be driven in part by cell stress-related biochemical events that disrupt a key cellular cleanup system, leading to the spread of harmful protein aggregates in the brain, according to a new study from scientists at Scripps Research.
A viral protein might contain information that could be used to avoid pneumonia due to the body’s overactive response to respiratory viruses, such as COVID-19.
Scientists recently pinpointed the mechanism by which inhibitors of the ERK5 protein kinase diminish cancer cell proliferation and trigger their death.
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) particularly attacks CD4 lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell considered to be the conductor of the immune system.
Whether intermittent fasting is called the 5:2 diet or the 16/8 method, celebrities swear that these eating regimens are a great way to lose weight. Fasting is now trendy, but real science backs up claims that fasting two days a week or restricting eating to an eight-hour window each day leads to weight loss.
Researchers have found that a protein named after the mythical land of youth in Irish folklore is efficient at reversing skeletal muscle cells aging.
Scientists headed by the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center converted an immune cold cancer into one that responds to immunotherapy.
For the first time, researchers have achieved lysosome typing based on single lysosome metabonomic data.
Dr Manual Kaulich’s team at Goethe University has developed a new 3Cs multiplex approach that permits the effect of genetic alterations in any two genes to be investigated simultaneously in cell cultures.
According to a new scientific study, recently published in the Nature Catalysis journal, baker's yeast can be engineered and improved to create polyamines and polyamine analogs to address major problems in both the health and agriculture sectors.
Researchers from Sanford Burnham Prebys have explored the intricacies of autophagy to get a better understanding of the process.
Autophagy is essential in messenger RNA (mRNA) degradation, according to researchers from the Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech).
A fine balance between the production and degradation of biomolecules is required for optimal cell function. Autophagy is a mechanism through which cells break down and recycle their own components.
Patients with a high number of genes most associated with pathways that lead to cell death in lung cancer are at increased risk of dying early from their disease, researchers report.
Researchers at EMBL Heidelberg have identified sequences in human proteins that might be used by SARS-CoV-2 to infect cells. They have discovered that the virus might hijack certain cellular processes, and they discuss potentially relevant drugs for treating COVID-19.
Prompted by the need to improve conventional treatments for people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1), a team from the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) has identified a therapeutic approach to restore the effectiveness of immune cells.
The molecular details of how SARS-CoV-2 enters cells and infects them are still not clear. Researchers at Uppsala University have tested the bioinformatic predictions made by another research group and have identified receptors that could be important players in the process.
Recycling cans and bottles is a good practice. It helps keep the planet clean. The same is true for recycling within cells in the body. Each cell has a way of cleaning out waste in order to regenerate newer, healthier cells. This "cell recycling" is called autophagy.