Trafficking and signaling in mammalian autophagy

IUBMB Life. 2010 Jul;62(7):503-8. doi: 10.1002/iub.334.

Abstract

Macroautophagy, here called autophagy, is literally a "self-eating" catabolic process, which is evolutionarily conserved. Autophagy is initiated by cellular stress pathways, resulting in the sequestration or engulfment of cytosolic proteins, membranes, and organelles in a double membrane structure that fuses with endosomes and lysosomes, thus delivering the sequestered material for degradation. Autophagy is implicated in a number of human diseases, many of which can either be characterized by an imbalance in protein, organelle, or cellular homeostasis, ultimately resulting in an alteration of the autophagic response. Here, we will review the recent progress made in understanding the induction of autophagy, with emphasis on the contributions from our laboratory.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / physiology
  • Autophagy / physiology*
  • Autophagy-Related Protein-1 Homolog
  • Autophagy-Related Proteins
  • Carrier Proteins / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / physiology
  • Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1
  • Membrane Proteins / physiology
  • Models, Biological
  • Multiprotein Complexes
  • Phagosomes / physiology
  • Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / physiology
  • Phosphatidylinositol Phosphates / metabolism
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / physiology
  • Proteins
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / metabolism
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / physiology
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • Transcription Factors / physiology

Substances

  • ATG13 protein, S cerevisiae
  • ATG18 protein, S cerevisiae
  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing
  • Autophagy-Related Proteins
  • Carrier Proteins
  • Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Multiprotein Complexes
  • Phosphatidylinositol Phosphates
  • Proteins
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins
  • Transcription Factors
  • Autophagy-Related Protein-1 Homolog
  • Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • ULK1 protein, human