Connexins: substrates and regulators of autophagy

Connexins as Substrates for Protein Kinases and Phosphoprotein Phosphatases

Bcl-2 family members: dual regulators of apoptosis and autophagy.

The essential autophagy protein and haplo-insufficient tumor suppressor, Beclin 1, interacts with several cofactors (Ambra1, Bif-1, UVRAG) to activate the lipid kinase Vps34, thereby inducing autophagy. In normal conditions, Beclin 1 is bound to and inhibited by Bcl-2 or the Bcl-2 homolog Bcl-X(L). This interaction involves a Bcl-2 homology 3 (BH3) domain in Beclin 1 and the BH3 binding groove ...

Sphingolipids: regulators of crosstalk between apoptosis and autophagy.

Apoptosis and autophagy are two evolutionarily conserved processes that maintain homeostasis during stress. Although the two pathways utilize fundamentally distinct machinery, apoptosis and autophagy are highly interconnected and share many key regulators. The crosstalk between apoptosis and autophagy is complex, as autophagy can function to promote cell survival or cell death under various cel...

Nutrient and growth hormone signaling are master regulators of autophagy

Introduction One hallmark of aging is the accumulation of various forms of molecular damage, embodied in malfunctioning organelles, defective enzymes, proteinaceous aggregates, or DNA mutations (1). At the same time, the incidence of chronic diseases such as neurodegeneration, type II diabetes, or cancer rises with age concomitantly with accumulating cellular damage. Therefore, one of the main ...

14-3-3 Proteins are Regulators of Autophagy

14-3-3 proteins are implicated in the regulation of proteins involved in a variety of signaling pathways. 14-3-3-dependent protein regulation occurs through phosphorylation-dependent binding that results, in many cases, in the release of survival signals in cells. Autophagy is a cell digestion process that contributes to overcoming nutrient deprivation and is initiated under stress conditions. ...