Autophagy News and Research

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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 Communication Between Brain and Liver After Fasting

The human body’s autophagy is triggered by fasting. The body activates the cells’ waste-removal mechanism and produces new energy. The brain plays a crucial part in this process, as researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research in Cologne recently found in mice.

19 Apr 2023

Cellular Recycling Function in the Brain Slows Dramatically After Traumatic Brain Injury

Each year about 1.5 million people in the U.S. survive a traumatic brain injury due to a fall, car accident, or a sports injury, which can cause immediate and long-term disability.

5 Apr 2023

FDA-approved compound promotes photoreceptor survival in lab models of inherited retinal ciliopathy

A National Eye Institute-led team has identified a compound already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that keeps light-sensitive photoreceptors alive in three models of Leber congenital amaurosis type 10 (LCA 10), an inherited retinal ciliopathy disease that often results in severe visual impairment or blindness in early childhood.

30 Mar 2023

Potential therapeutic target in KRAS-mutant pancreatic cancer identified

A new research paper was published in Genes & Cancer on March 10, 2023, entitled, "VCP/p97, a pleiotropic protein regulator of the DNA damage response and proteostasis, is a potential therapeutic target in KRAS-mutant pancreatic cancer."

27 Mar 2023

Immune system’s aptitude in reducing reliance on antibiotics for treating infections

The removal of obsolete and damaged cell components by the body is crucial for fighting diseases like tuberculosis (TB), which establish themselves inside human cells, according to researchers from the Francis Crick Institute.

27 Mar 2023

Identifying the molecular switch that regulates autophagy in plants

Autophagy, commonly known as “self-eating,” is a cellular quality control mechanism that relieves the cell of protein aggregates and damaged organelles. This system is inert under ordinary conditions and is only activated in the presence of persistent cellular stress.

13 Feb 2023

Rare disease involving speech and motor coordination difficulties identified

Scientists from the National Institutes of Health recently identified a new neurological condition characterized by issues with motor coordination and speech. Their observations were published in the journal npj Genomic Medicine.

From National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) 13 Feb 2023

Telomeres, mitochondria, and inflammation: Working in synergy to fight cancer

The telomeres, or ends of the chromosomes, increasingly shorten as people age. Recently, Salk researchers found that when telomeres are very short, they can still interact with the mitochondria, the cell’s powerhouses.

9 Feb 2023

Figuring out how cells safeguard their genomes during replication

Cells zealously protect the integrity of their genomes, because damage can lead to cancer or cell death. The genome, a cell’s complete set of DNA, is most vulnerable while it is being duplicated before a cell divides.

26 Jan 2023

Waste disposal mechanism of mitochondria to remove mtDNA mutations

University of Cologne researchers have uncovered the mechanism by which cells can get rid of mutated mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)—the heart of each of our cells, the mitochondria.

17 Nov 2022

Conserved vacuolar sorting hub regulates autophagic flux in plants

A “hub and spoke” system allows plant cells to effectively coordinate cellular trafficking, especially for cellular recycling, also known as autophagy. Autophagosomes are specialized vesicles that capture hazardous molecules and transport them to the vacuole, where they are destroyed.

21 Oct 2022

New role for huntingtin protein—neuronal regeneration

A recent study led by the University at Buffalo proposes a novel role for the huntingtin protein (HTT), which leads to Huntington’s disease when mutated.

28 Sep 2022

Scientists demonstrate a new function of an enzyme that connects to age-related diseases

Aging and age-related diseases present a complex challenge to biomedical researchers.

20 Jul 2022

Research associates autophagy and age-related nervous system degradation

The in-built mechanism of recycling dead or poisonous material to preserve the health of human cells is critical to general health.

20 Apr 2022

Cellular recycling system of autophagy likely to help in wound repair

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.

14 Mar 2022

New study uncovers potential driver of Parkinson’s disease

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.

24 Feb 2022

Study identifies respiratory syncytial viral protein that mediates RSV-induced autophagy

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.

20 Jan 2022

Study uncovers mechanism that triggers cancer cell death

Scientists recently pinpointed the mechanism by which inhibitors of the ERK5 protein kinase diminish cancer cell proliferation and trigger their death.

23 Dec 2021

Metabolic restoration could provide natural protection against HIV

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.

19 Oct 2021

Intermittent fasting slows aging and increases longevity in fruit flies, study shows

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.

30 Sep 2021