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.

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

NANOG protein ameliorates primary hallmarks of cellular senescence, says study

Researchers have found that a protein named after the mythical land of youth in Irish folklore is efficient at reversing skeletal muscle cells aging.

20 Sep 2021

Researchers identify inhibitor that converts immune cold cancer to red hot ones

Scientists headed by the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center converted an immune cold cancer into one that responds to immunotherapy.

4 Aug 2021

Researchers profile lysosomes based on single metabonomic information

For the first time, researchers have achieved lysosome typing based on single lysosome metabonomic data.

30 Jun 2021

New 3Cs multiplex approach enables the study of the effect of genetic changes

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.

25 Jun 2021

Polyamines with known functionalities can treat age-related disorders

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.

21 Jun 2021

Study sheds new light on age-related diseases

Researchers from Sanford Burnham Prebys have explored the intricacies of autophagy to get a better understanding of the process.

21 Jun 2021

Study shows that autophagy plays a key role in messenger RNA degradation

Autophagy is essential in messenger RNA (mRNA) degradation, according to researchers from the Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech).

27 Apr 2021

Study highlights the importance of autophagy in gene regulation

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.

20 Apr 2021

High expression of cell death genes linked to increased risk of dying early from lung cancer

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.

6 Apr 2021

Researchers identify protein sequences that might be used by SARS-CoV-2 to infect cells

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.

12 Feb 2021

New therapeutic approach to restore the effectiveness of immune cells

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.

10 Feb 2021

Study reveals molecular details of how SARS-CoV-2 infects 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.

9 Feb 2021

Blocking autophagy could help treat certain cancers

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.

9 Feb 2021

SARS-CoV-2 virus may enter and replicate in human cells by targeting cellular processes

The SARS-CoV-2 virus may enter and replicate in human cells by exploiting newly-identified sequences within cell receptors, according to work from two teams of scientists.

22 Jan 2021

Study: Phase separated droplets have many important functions in cells

Autophagy is a fundamental cellular process by which cells capture and degrade their own dysfunctional or superfluous components for degradation and recycling.

22 Jan 2021

High-speed atomic force microscopy sheds light on structure, dynamics of intrinsically disordered proteins

Kanazawa University’s pioneering high-speed atomic force microscope technology has now shed light on the structure and dynamics of some of life’s most ubiquitous and inscrutable molecules – intrinsically disordered proteins.

29 Dec 2020

Anti-diarrhea drug could be used to induce cell death in glioblastoma cell lines

The research group led by Dr Sjoerd van Wijk from the Institute of Experimental Cancer Research in Paediatrics at Goethe University already two years ago found evidence indicating that the anti-diarrhea drug loperamide could be used to induce cell death in glioblastoma cell lines.

23 Dec 2020

Study may lead to new approaches to protect older individuals from viruses

A drug that boosts the removal of cellular debris in immune cells may increase the protective effects of vaccines in older adults, a study published today in eLife shows.

16 Dec 2020

Researchers reveal identity of the last unknown protein of autophagy

Drs. Nobuo Noda (Director) and Kazuaki Matoba (Senior Researcher) et al. at the Institute of Microbial Chemistry (BIKAKEN, Tokyo, Japan) discovered that Atg9, one of the proteins that function to mediate autophagy, has phospholipid-translocation activity (the lipid scramblase activity) between the two layers of the lipid bilayer and elucidated that the protein's activity brings about autophagosome membrane expansion.

5 Nov 2020