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 removing redundant protein aggregates. Moreover, the observation that autophagy regulates lipid metabolism has widened our understanding of the delicate and indispensible role autophagy plays in cellular metabolism and holds promise of a relatively new and exciting strategy for treating metabolic disorders.