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Autophagy: dual roles in life and death?

Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology volume 6, pages 505–510 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved mechanism for the degradation of cellular components in the cytoplasm, and serves as a cell survival mechanism in starving cells. Recent studies indicate that autophagy also functions in cell death, but the precise role of this catabolic process in dying cells is not clear. Here I discuss the possible roles for autophagy in dying cells and how understanding the relationship between autophagy, cell survival and cell death is important for health and development.

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Figure 1: Genetic regulation of autophagy.
Figure 2: Cell death can involve both caspases and autophagy.
Figure 3: Possible roles of autophagy in cell survival and death.

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Acknowledgements

I apologize to many researchers who were not referenced owing to space limitations. I thank D. Berry, L. Yu, and M. Lenardo for discussions and comments on this manuscript. Studies of autophagy and cell death in my laboratory are supported by the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. the Center for Biosystems Research, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, College Park, Maryland, 20742, USA

    Eric H. Baehrecke

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  1. Eric H. Baehrecke
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DATABASES

Swiss-Prot

Akt

Atg3

Atg4

Atg5

Atg7

Atg8

Atg10

Atg12

Atg16

PI3K

PTEN

TSC1

TSC2

FURTHER INFORMATION

Eric Baehrecke's laboratory

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Baehrecke, E. Autophagy: dual roles in life and death?. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 6, 505–510 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm1666

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