Autophagy is an intracellular lysosomal degradation pathway conserved in eukaryotic cells. Based on how intracellular materials (cargos) are delivered to the lysosome for degradation, autophagy can be classified into three main types: 1) macroautophagy (hereafter autophagy), the most extensively studied form of autophagy, which is characterized by the formation of a double-membraned vesicle- autophagosome, 2) chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA), which degrades unfolded proteins containing KFERQ-like motif by the transportation of these proteins across the lysosomal membrane via HSC70 and LAMP2A, and 3) microautophagy, which is the least defined form of autophagy and degrades cytosolic cargos by the direct invagination or protrusion of the lysosomal membrane. Basal autophagy plays a pro-survival role by degrading intracellular cargos to provide small molecules for biosynthesis and energy production under stress conditions such as starvation. However, when autophagy is deregulated to degrade essential intracellular materials for cell survival, it induces cell death, termed autophagic cell death.
A substantial body of literature has reported the roles of autophagy in cell survival and death in recent years. Since there are many types of cell death pathways including apoptosis, necroptosis, autophagic cell death, ferroptosis, pyroptosis and others, the mechanisms of autophagy in protecting cells from these types of cell death need to be defined. Furthermore, most of the studies on the roles of autophagy in cell survival and death have been focused on macroautophagy. Studies on other types of autophagy, especially CMA, would advance our understanding of cell death regulation. This Research Topic of Review and Original Research articles covering different types of autophagy and cell death in various diseases would facilitate the comparison of different mechanisms of autophagy-mediated cell survival and death. The understanding of autophagy-mediated cell survival and death would provide insight into developing novel approaches for disease prevention and treatment via targeting autophagy.
Specific subtopics may include but are not limited to:
• Roles of macroautophagy/CMA/microautophagy in cell survival/death in cancer progression and treatment
• Roles of macroautophagy/CMA/microautophagy in cell survival/death in cardiovascular disease progression and treatment
• Roles of macroautophagy/CMA/microautophagy in cell survival/death in neurodegenerative disease progression and treatment
• Roles of macroautophagy/CMA/microautophagy in cell survival/death in liver disease progression and treatment
• Roles of macroautophagy/CMA/microautophagy in cell survival/death in the progression and treatment of other diseases
• Roles of macroautophagy/CMA/microautophagy in cell death (apoptosis, necroptosis, autophagic cell death, ferroptosis, pyroptosis, and others).
This collection derived from research presented at the Keystone Symposia 'Autophagy: Mechanisms and Disease', held on October 5-8, 2020.
Autophagy is an intracellular lysosomal degradation pathway conserved in eukaryotic cells. Based on how intracellular materials (cargos) are delivered to the lysosome for degradation, autophagy can be classified into three main types: 1) macroautophagy (hereafter autophagy), the most extensively studied form of autophagy, which is characterized by the formation of a double-membraned vesicle- autophagosome, 2) chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA), which degrades unfolded proteins containing KFERQ-like motif by the transportation of these proteins across the lysosomal membrane via HSC70 and LAMP2A, and 3) microautophagy, which is the least defined form of autophagy and degrades cytosolic cargos by the direct invagination or protrusion of the lysosomal membrane. Basal autophagy plays a pro-survival role by degrading intracellular cargos to provide small molecules for biosynthesis and energy production under stress conditions such as starvation. However, when autophagy is deregulated to degrade essential intracellular materials for cell survival, it induces cell death, termed autophagic cell death.
A substantial body of literature has reported the roles of autophagy in cell survival and death in recent years. Since there are many types of cell death pathways including apoptosis, necroptosis, autophagic cell death, ferroptosis, pyroptosis and others, the mechanisms of autophagy in protecting cells from these types of cell death need to be defined. Furthermore, most of the studies on the roles of autophagy in cell survival and death have been focused on macroautophagy. Studies on other types of autophagy, especially CMA, would advance our understanding of cell death regulation. This Research Topic of Review and Original Research articles covering different types of autophagy and cell death in various diseases would facilitate the comparison of different mechanisms of autophagy-mediated cell survival and death. The understanding of autophagy-mediated cell survival and death would provide insight into developing novel approaches for disease prevention and treatment via targeting autophagy.
Specific subtopics may include but are not limited to:
• Roles of macroautophagy/CMA/microautophagy in cell survival/death in cancer progression and treatment
• Roles of macroautophagy/CMA/microautophagy in cell survival/death in cardiovascular disease progression and treatment
• Roles of macroautophagy/CMA/microautophagy in cell survival/death in neurodegenerative disease progression and treatment
• Roles of macroautophagy/CMA/microautophagy in cell survival/death in liver disease progression and treatment
• Roles of macroautophagy/CMA/microautophagy in cell survival/death in the progression and treatment of other diseases
• Roles of macroautophagy/CMA/microautophagy in cell death (apoptosis, necroptosis, autophagic cell death, ferroptosis, pyroptosis, and others).
This collection derived from research presented at the Keystone Symposia 'Autophagy: Mechanisms and Disease', held on October 5-8, 2020.
