Autophagy - molecular mechanisms and its role in neoplastic process

Autophagy: cellular and molecular mechanisms.

Autophagy is a self-degradative process that is important for balancing sources of energy at critical times in development and in response to nutrient stress. Autophagy also plays a housekeeping role in removing misfolded or aggregated proteins, clearing damaged organelles, such as mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum and peroxisomes, as well as eliminating intracellular pathogens. Thus, autopha...

Viral Infections and their Role in Autoimmune Diseases, with Emphasis on Mechanisms and Molecular Interactions

Introduction: The exact cause of most autoimmune diseases is still unknown; however, several factors play a role in causing or exacerbating autoimmune reactions. In addition to environmental factors such as bacterial, parasitic, fungal and viral infections, factors such as genetic characteristics and lifestyle are also included. Infections caused by viruses usually trigger a strong immune respo...

Autophagy process is associated with anti-neoplastic function.

Autophagy is a highly conserved process of cellular degradation, which is present in yeast, plants, and mammals. Under normal physiological conditions, autophagy acts to maintain cellular homeostasis and regulate the turnover of organelles. In response to cellular stresses, autophagy prevents the accumulation of impaired proteins and organelles, which serves to inhibit carcinogenesis. On this b...

Autophagy and its Role in Metabolism

Macroautophagy (hereafter autophagy) is a cellular quality control mechanism that evolved to recycle cellular waste and maintain energy homeostasis under starvation. However, its implications in regulating metabolism has only recently begun to be uncovered. Recent studies have revealed new functions of autophagy such as sensing damaged tissue mitochondria and preventing cellular injury by remov...

Autophagy and Its Role in MHC-Mediated